The Sword of Amaterasu
by Starlight1
Summary: Hitoshi Shinsou is into his 4th year at the Directorate. The sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi, one of Japan's 3 imperial treasures, has been stolen by a Chinese politician. A new Japanese emperor is about to ascend the throne, & the sword must be present at the coronation. Aizawa tells Shinsou to get the sword back before the theft becomes a matter of tension between Japan & China.
1. Shigeru

**1 SHIGERU**

The Lamborghini flashed down the moonlit road. Hitoshi Shinsou was at the wheel, his hair flying in the wind. The road ran past the coast, and to his left the East China Sea stretched away, to the furthest horizon. To his right lay the port district of Dafeng, near Shanghai in Jiangsu, China.

It was the early hours of the night, and the road was empty. A lone tree flashed past, the marker for the end of the race. Shinsou slowed the Lamborghini, and scanned his rear view mirror. Presently he brought the car to a stop, at the side of the road.

After about a minute another car came flying along. It was a Maserati, and Shigeru Yanagihara was inside. The Maserati screeched to a halt next to the Lamborghini.

Shinsou was wearing his usual cold expression. He looked at Shigeru and said coolly, "I won."

Shigeru didn't seem to mind; he gave Shinsou his usual rakish grin.

"A good race, brother," he said, "luck was on your side."

"What happened?" asked Shinsou, "I was expecting you to catch up."

They had been competing to see who was faster, and since the road was narrow, Shigeru had been driving in the lane against the flow of traffic. A car had come along, going in the opposite direction, and he had been forced to move back into the other lane, behind Shinsou. Once the car had passed, Shinsou had expected him to draw alongside again, but when he next looked back, the Maserati had disappeared.

"One of my cufflinks fell off, when I swerved," said Shigeru, "I stopped to look for it."

Shinsou raised his eyebrows.

"It's a special cufflink," explained Shigeru, seeing his expression. "I've had it for over ten years. I've lost it," he concluded, gloomily.

"Buy another pair," said Shinsou, indifferently.

"Brother, you find the same pair and buy it for me, since I lost it because of you," said Shigeru, taking the remaining cufflink off and tossing it at Shinsou, "I'll keep it in memory of the good time we had together."

Shinsou deftly caught the cufflink. It gleamed silver in the moonlight, and was in the shape of a fox's head.

"All right," he agreed. He put the cufflink in his pocket.

"Let's go back," said Shigeru, starting the Maserati, "we'd better return the cars before the servants get up."

.

.

Shigeru, like Shinsou, was an agent working at the Tokyo Intelligence Directorate. He was one of a group that had been monitoring events in China. Shinsou had recently completed the Directorate's ninjutsu course, which every agent was expected to take, at some point in his or her career. It was not, as Aizawa said, of much practical use, for it only lasted two weeks. Ninjutsu, like any other skill, took years to master.

Aizawa had told Shinsou that in his opinion Fujiwara, the Director-General, had initiated the course more as a matter of tradition, because _shinobi_ , or ninja, had historically been Japan's first intelligence agents. They had first risen to prominence in feudal Japan, during the Sengoku era, and their functions had included espionage, sabotage, and infiltration. At the time, their covert methods of waging irregular warfare were seen as dishonourable and beneath the samurai caste, who observed strict rules about honour and combat. Samurai had a sense of ritual and decorum, where one was expected to fight or duel openly, but the unrest of the time created a demand for men willing to commit deeds considered disreputable for conventional warriors.

The Directorate course taught the history of the _shinobi_ as well as some of their techniques. However Aizawa, who was Shinsou's supervisor, had discovered that Shigeru was descended from a ninja clan, the Iga, the families of which had lived in the province of Iga which lay in modern Mie prefecture. He had also heard that Shigeru's father, despite being a wealthy businessman, had been proud of their lineage and had subjected his son to ninja training when he was young.

Shigeru was not covering any cases at the moment, and his supervisor had recently retired, so he had been temporarily assigned to Aizawa. Since Shinsou was in between assignments as well, Aizawa had arranged for him and Shigeru to spend a few months together so that the latter could teach Shinsou a bit more about ninjutsu. He also wanted Shigeru to familiarise Shinsou with the situation in China, in case he ever needed to work on a case there.

Shinsou soon discovered that Shigeru wasn't a typical Directorate agent. He was older than Shinsou, in his forties, and had a decidedly rakish look, tall and lanky, with longish black hair and a short, black beard. His family was rich, rich enough that he could have lived a life of leisure and not worked at the Directorate at all. He liked the good life, and he liked women and wine.

He seemed to like Shinsou too, although they appeared to have little in common. He preferred being addressed by his first name rather than his surname, but he generally addressed Shinsou as "brother".

Shinsou didn't mind Shigeru, although he suspected that once Aizawa came to know the latter better he would probably deeply disapprove of him and his playboy tendencies. Shinsou had spent two months at Shigeru's family home in the mountains outside the city of Iga. The house was empty, for it was now used more as a holiday cottage, and the family resided elsewhere. Shigeru had borrowed a couple of horses and taught Shinsou to ride, and they had spent weeks camping in the mountains.

Shigeru had told him that ninja, like the samurai, were born into the profession, where traditions were kept in, and passed down through the family. They were trained from childhood, and had to study survival and scouting techniques. They also underwent physical training, including long distance runs, climbing, stealth methods of walking, and swimming. The family had lost touch with its roots, but Shigeru's grandfather had rediscovered them, and his father had been fired with enthusiasm and had subjected his son to _shinobi_ training when he was young.

"I didn't mind it," Shigeru told Shinsou, "I liked it better than school. Of course, the training was nothing like genuine ninja training. My father managed to hire a ninjutsu instructor. But whatever traditions the family had were long gone."

He taught Shinsou whatever ninja techniques he knew, climbing trees and camouflaging oneself within the foliage, and climbing with spiked or hooked climbing gear worn on the hands and feet. They practised climbing with ropes and grappling hooks that were tied to the belt, or used a collapsible ladder which had spikes at both ends to anchor the ladder.

Shigeru actually had no need of any of these tools. He had an extraordinary Quirk; it enabled him to walk up and down vertical surfaces. Even so, he still enjoyed climbing the conventional way, and he enjoyed having someone like Shinsou around to teach.

He showed Shinsou a variety of weapons and tools used by the ninja, including the _kunai_ , used for gouging holes in walls, and knives and small saws, also used to create holes in buildings, where they could be used as footholds or a passage of entry into the building. They also looked at swords. Ninja, Shigeru said, liked laying a sword against the wall and using the sword guard to gain a higher foothold. They also liked having a sword shorter than its scabbard, so that there was room for blinding powder to be concealed within, to be used for flinging into an enemy's eyes.

They sparred with the swords, for fun. Shinsou, after his first rushed assignment when he had commenced working at the Directorate, had eventually gotten round to completing the remainder of his basic training. And although he had by then already decided to deploy the whip as his weapon of choice, he had received training on a range of different weapons, including swordsmanship.

Shigeru's favourite weapon by far, however, was the shuriken, and he and Shinsou spent hours practising throws. These were blades that came in many different shapes, mostly stars, and there were several ways to throw them – overhead, underarm, sideways and rearwards, in each case the blade sliding out of the hand through the fingers in a smooth, controlled flight.

.

.

Shigeru's main aim in life, Shinsou soon discovered, was to find his dream woman, or what he called his Ono no Komachi, a legendary Japanese beauty who had also dabbled in poetry. He was always on the lookout for her, he said, and he had had many women, but all of them paled in comparison to a girl he had once met at a pub along the river Tama near Tokyo when he was eighteen.

Every year during the first two weeks of spring he returned back to the same pub along the banks of the Tama, hoping he might see her again there. This year was no exception. Shinsou had just been assigned to train with him, and before they went to the country house in Iga, they had spent two weeks hanging around the pub, where Shigeru had told him the story.

He had joined the Directorate because his father, excited about their ninja ancestry, had wanted him to. His academic results had to improve in order to achieve that, and having a hero licence would be an advantage too, so his father had packed him off to one of the lesser known hero schools around Tokyo when he was fifteen.

In the evenings after school, he liked to frequent the small, open-air pub along the banks of the Tama river, and he met her there in his last year of school. Her name was Mitsuki, and she was seventeen.

"It was love at first sight," he solemnly informed Shinsou, "it was the first week of spring. She liked poetry, and since Komachi was also a poet, I called her my Ono no Komachi. We met every evening for two weeks, and at the end of that we took a walk up into the woods and I made love to her. And after that, she asked me to marry her."

"Did she," said Shinsou, amused, "I thought you should have been the one to do the asking."

"I was a fool," said Shigeru, pensively. He was into his second bottle of whiskey, and was becoming a bit drunk. "She said she had been planning to become a geisha, but she would give it up if I would marry her. But hell, I was only eighteen. Who thinks about getting married at that age? And after only knowing each other for two weeks? So, I said no. I said we could keep in touch, and that when she found out which geisha house she was going to train at, she could give me the address. She said it would be impossible for her to see me once she became a geisha. We quarrelled, and parted."

He took another swig of whiskey.

"You're getting drunk," said Shinsou, removing the bottle, "finish the tale first."

Shigeru looked crestfallen.

"Well, I never heard from her again," he said sorrowfully, "and I thought I would forget her after a while. I'd had other girls before. But I found that I couldn't, and that I regretted rejecting her. She showed me a poem once, and said it was a geisha song and that it made her think of me. It didn't make any sense to me, of course. I never understood poetry. But when she left, she said, 'I will remember Tamagawa River. And I will always wait for spring.' I remembered there was something like that in the poem."

He reached for the bottle, but Shinsou had removed it to a place out of his grasp.

Shigeru solved the problem by picking Shinsou's glass up and drinking deeply from it.

"Finish your story," said Shinsou, removing the glass as well, "Did you ever find her in the end?"

"Brother, give me back my whiskey," said Shigeru, "I'm suffering."

"I'll brainwash you into telling me the rest, if you don't comply," Shinsou threatened.

Shigeru looked mournful.

"No, I never saw her again," he said dejectedly, "she didn't answer my calls, and she changed her phone number soon after that. All I have is what she said about that poem. And we met during the first week of spring. So I come here during that time, every year, hoping she might appear here again."

"She'd be forty by now, probably looking nothing like what she did at seventeen," said Shinsou, "you should just give up and find someone else. It has been over twenty years!"

"Brother, I tell myself that," said Shigeru. His eyes were beginning to look bloodshot. "And I've been a-looking, I can tell you. I've found lots of 'em. But I can't forget her. I've got to see her again, even if she's fat and ugly now. Maybe I can let go then."

"Maybe she didn't become a geisha in the end," said Shinsou, returning the bottle.

Shigeru drained the bottle, before replying.

"It's likely," he said dolefully, "I must have searched almost every geisha house in Japan for her. In Kyoto and then Tokyo, and then all the smaller towns …"

He looked gloomily at Shinsou.

"It's good to be young," he said, "you haven't had your heart broken yet, have you, brother? I know I'll see her again one day. There must be a reason why I haven't forgotten her."

.

.

After two months in Iga, Shigeru had decided that they would go to Shanghai. He had given Shinsou a folder of documents to read up on information about China.

"You don't need to read too much, brother," he said to Shinsou, "we've been doing the standard stuff … signals intelligence, counterintelligence … the Chinese don't spend years cultivating a few high-level sources, they like planting academics or students who will be in the host country for a short time to spy for them. Some of our group were keeping an eye on a couple of such individuals in Japan.

"Then there's tension over the Senkaku Islands. And cyber espionage. But when you're over there in China itself, you need to know the language, of course, and getting information is all about knowing people and making contacts. We only have two weeks, and I'm feeling lovelorn over my Komachi, so we'll just have a good time. We'll go over there and you can just get a feel of the place, and then we'll gatecrash some parties and meet people."

Shinsou went along quite willingly, although he doubted Aizawa would have approved of the parties. When they arrived in Shanghai, Shigeru introduced him to a few of the covert operatives based there, and then he somehow managed to procure invitations to a number of high society parties. He made sure there would be a large number of people attending, so that it would be easy to blend in with the crowd, since most people wouldn't know everyone else there. As Shanghai was quite a cosmopolitan place, he was also able to make sure there were enough people who spoke English there for Shinsou not to get bored.

Shinsou guessed that Shigeru would be having a good time wining and dining and talking to people, and then making off later in the evening with some love conquest. He had his own plans. His English was decent, since in Japan all students had to study it in school. He had spent the two months in Iga also picking up rudimentary Mandarin, enough to pass off as a waiter. Passing oneself off as a waiter would be more convenient, he reasoned, because it allowed you to move around quite a bit, and it also avoided the problem of passing yourself off as a guest and having people approach you and ask who you were.

Shigeru liked arriving late, when there would already be many people there, so that he could blend in with the crowd and the host would be too distracted to notice him. Shinsou preferred arriving early. For a party with so many people the host was sure to employ part-time staff, and Shinsou would hang around outside the premises, waiting for them to arrive. He would then brainwash them and enter the house together with them, and procure a waiter's uniform from them.

For a large party where the guests had come to talk business or socialise, the layout was usually buffet style so that people could move about and mix around more, rather than the typical Chinese dinner where all the guests were seated at fixed tables. Shinsou usually managed to brainwash the head server, or maitre D, into assigning him to only serve drinks. This gave him ample chance to say a few words to each of the guests, compared to if he were in charge of replenishing the food trays. He would then identify those guests who looked interesting, and brainwash them when they happened to be alone briefly.

He managed to have quite a number of entertaining conversations then. He brainwashed a high-ranking member of the People's Liberation Army, who told him in detail their plans to procure more fighter jets and build more aircraft carriers, as well as develop their own stealth aircraft. He brainwashed embassy officials, who informed him of confidential state visits that were being planned. Businessmen would tell him about their strategies for doing business in China. He also once had quite an interesting conversation with an archaeologist who was doing work around Xi'an.

Shigeru would occasionally pass by and suggest various individuals he might like to approach. Shinsou would observe him chatting up various ladies during the course of the evening. He would unfailingly also insist on trying to hook Shinsou up with a girl.

"Brother, that one looks nice," he would say, "I've found a cosy private room where the two of you can get to know each other better, too."

"I keep telling you, I already have a girlfriend," said Shinsou, "and anyway, I doubt she'd want to hook up with a waiter."

"Brother, we'll get her so drunk she won't notice," said Shigeru, "never mind your girlfriend. I have dozens of 'em at a time."

Shinsou usually solved the problem by brainwashing the girl and getting rid of her, or leaving the party early, since he knew Shigeru wouldn't come away for hours.

Whenever Shinsou struck up a conversation with someone, he would invariably ask them if they had any dealings with Japan. At the final party, before they were due to fly home to Tokyo, he talked to an elderly Chinese man, an avid antique collector who, it turned out, was also quite a high-ranking official in the Chinese Communist Party.

The man spoke excellent Japanese, and when Shinsou discovered this, they began conversing in that.

"I like Japan," said the man, "I have had many business dealings there over the years, and I even secretly became _danna_ to a geisha. My Chinese wife died many years ago, and I wanted to marry the geisha, but she had an illness and also died. I quietly adopted her daughter … would you believe it, she had a child with a member of the Japanese imperial family, so the girl is a princess and has royal blood in her. I secretly married another Japanese woman, and we took the girl in. My wife and adopted daughter live in Kyoto. I plan to retire and move to Japan, some time. I must leave China … the President is purging many of the officials for corruption, and I know that I am one of those on his list. I plan to get out before that happens."

Halfway through the evening, Shigeru informed Shinsou that for once, he had plans for later other than making out with a woman.

"Brother, I found out from the host that three houses away, there's someone who has an entire fleet of sports cars," he whispered, "and the whole family's away on holiday. You haven't driven a sports car before, have you? There are high end motorcycles there, too. Meet me later, we'll sneak in when the servants there are asleep and I'll teach you how to get past a security system, pick locks so that we can break in, and how to hotwire the cars. We'll hotwire the whole lot, and go for a joyride."

Which was what they did. There were several expensive motorcycles there, and ten different sports cars. They took turns to drive all of them around the Shanghai area, once going all the way across Donghai Bridge which ran over the sea and connected the Pudong area to Yangshan port in Zhejiang. Shigeru then had the idea of them each taking a car and having a race, which they did. They made their way over to Dafeng, where there was a lonely and secluded road with few cars.

Two days later, they were back in their hotel room, getting ready to go to the airport. Shinsou packed his belongings and then, since it was still early, switched the TV on.

An interview came on air, and Shinsou recognised the antique collector – politburo member he had spoken to, two nights ago. He was being interviewed about his vast collection of antiques.

"Lin Wenjian," said Shigeru, looking up from his packing, "Saw you talking to him in a corner at the party the other night."

"Yes, I had quite an interesting conversation with him," said Shinsou.

Shigeru laughed. He had a loud, rather maniacal laugh.

"We keep an eye on him when he comes to Japan," he said, "He calls himself Ichiro Matsuyama there, and he has quietly taken a Japanese wife and daughter. But it's not known in China, of course. It's not good for a party member to have a foreign wife. He has a house in Kyoto, but pretends that it's not his, and that it belongs to relatives."

"He did mention some of that to me," Shinsou concurred.

"He has a reputation for being a thief but nobody has managed to catch him," Shigeru continued, "he likes giving interviews and mentioning he'd like to get hold of this or that well-known antique. And lo and behold, a short while later, the antique mysteriously disappears from whatever museum it was in, or from the owner's house. He'll always declare his innocence, though, and that he was joking, and the police will search his premises, but they never manage to find the antique."

"Hold on, let's see what he's saying, here," said Shinsou, listening intently.

.

Interviewer : Mr Lin, I understand that a sizeable portion of your antiques are Japanese.

Lin Wenjian : Yes, I love Japanese antiques. I have relatives living in Japan, you know, and I visit them often. They have a house in Kyoto, and I have frequented the antique districts there for years … Furumonzen–Shinmonzen, and Teramachi-dori. I can spend hours browsing around the shops there … there are always so many interesting items to look at. I like Imari blue and white porcelain, and small, everyday items that come from the Meiji and Taisho eras …

Interviewer : So, when will you next visit Japan?

Lin Wenjian : As a matter of fact, I will be there next week, to attend a wedding.

Interviewer : Now that should be a joyful occasion! Tell us, then, which Japanese antiques you plan to acquire next?

Lin Wenjian : Well, there is an Edo period iron _tsuba_ – you know, the hand guard mounted on a Japanese sword – that I have been eyeing. Quite a lovely piece, carved with dragons. Someone has been trying to sell me a samurai sword that he claims once belonged to Tokugawa Ieyasu. I think it is not genuine, of course. But I must say there is a thrill to think of owning something like that which belongs to history.

Interviewer : You seem to have swords on your mind, lately!

Lin Wenjian : I do, don't I? And with the approaching enthronement of the new Japanese Emperor, of course the sword that one tends to think of would be …

Interviewer : Kusanagi no Tsurugi.

Lin Wenjian : Quite right! The sword which the sun goddess Amaterasu gave to her grandson Ninigi to bring peace to Japan, and which was passed down to the Japanese emperors.

Interviewer : That would be any collector's dream to own, wouldn't it?

Lin Wenjian : Indeed it would! However I believe no amount of money would be able to buy it ... it is priceless.

Interviewer : You have a reputation for being able to acquire artefacts that you desire, though.

Lin Wenjian : (laughs) Those are all rumours. I must say, though, if I were to acquire this, it would be the ultimate acquisition ...

.

Shigeru was scowling. "The cheek! Imagine any of the imperial regalia ending up in a Chinese official's collection."

"What are the regalia, exactly?" asked Shinsou.

"There are three," said Shigeru, "the sword Kusanagi, housed in Atsuta Shrine in Nagoya; the magatama jewel which is kept in the Imperial Palace itself; and the mirror Yata no Kagami which is at Ise Grand Shrine in Mie Prefecture."

"It's all myth, isn't it," said Shinsou, "about the sword coming from Amaterasu."

Shigeru looked serious.

"Some of these things are hard to say, Shinsou," he said – when he was serious, he generally forgot to call Shinsou 'brother' – "you don't believe in _yokai_ , either, do you?"

"Spirits? No," said Shinsou.

"Well, they exist," said Shigeru, "I've seen them."

Shinsou laughed. "Where?"

"I'll show you one day," said Shigeru, resuming his packing.

Shinsou said nothing. He knew that Shigeru was superstitious. He would not step on the border of a tatami mat, believing it to be unlucky, and he also possessed countless _omamori_ , which were amulets sealed in brocade bags believed to endow luck or good fortune. He kept these in various places, such as his suitcase and in his pockets, and even his keychains had _omamori_ dangling from them.

They eventually went to the airport, and caught their flight home. They had landed and were in the taxi on their way to Tokyo, when the sky went strangely dark.

"Look at that," said Shinsou, peering out of the taxi window, "I didn't know there was supposed to be an eclipse today."

Shigeru was looking out as well.

"Let me check." He got onto the internet with his smartphone.

"There isn't." He looked out again. "And that's a very strange colour in the sky as well."

"What do you think it is?" asked Shinsou.

Shigeru was looking unusually serious.

"Shinsou," he said, "I think that bastard might really have done it."

Shinsou stared at him. "Who? Done what?"

"Lin Wenjian," said Shigeru, "That interview we saw was conducted when, probably a week ago? He'd be in Japan now, to attend that wedding."

"Surely you're not serious!" said Shinsou.

"I'm telling you, Amaterasu's angry," said Shigeru, "that's why the sun's gone out."

Shinsou laughed. "You're carrying superstition too far, Shigeru."

But Shigeru was scowling.

"The sword's sacred," he said, "falling into evil hands defiles it. And if it's true, there's trouble ahead. The current emperor is abdicating in order to let the Crown Prince take over the throne in a few months. The imperial regalia have to be present during the enthronement ceremony. If the sword is missing, there's going to be a huge crisis."

.

.

.

 **AUTHOR'S NOTE**

This fanfic takes place three years before the events in my other fanfic, Mindbender, meaning that Shinsou has already been working as a covert operative for Japan's national intelligence agency for four years, after graduating from UA. As I mentioned in Mindbender, he's a less combative and abrasive individual now, since he has already achieved his goal of obtaining a hero licence. He's also well on his way to becoming a consummate professional, having already solved one major case a few years earlier.

When I finished writing Mindbender, I had some thoughts that I might try working on the other two cases I mentioned Shinsou had solved, the Shiramine and Kusanagi cases. Mindbender was based on a cult. The Shiramine case, if I ever get it done, occurs when Shinsou first joins the Directorate, and part of it takes place outside Japan and has slight political overtones. In contrast, The Sword of Amaterasu deals with Japanese folklore, which is unusual for a case involving intelligence agents; but I thought it would be nice to have something different and give the stories in the trilogy a bit of balance and variety.

I've tried as much as possible to stay true to original Japanese folklore in the story, but I did change a few things. According to tradition, kitsune and tanuki are able to shapeshift and also possess people. In this fanfic I modified that a bit to allow them to merge with people and shapeshift them instead. Also, legend says that at the Ryugu-jo under the sea, each of the four sides of the palace has a different season; I changed that to the chamber of seasons, and added in rooms leading to mountains and beaches as well, because I wanted those who stayed there to also be able to experience these. Princess Toyotama is also often referred to as Otohime, but I chose to use Toyotama because I thought it sounded better.

I'd like to dedicate this fanfic to Naomi Ichikawa, who lives in Shimonoseki, where legend says the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi once disappeared into the sea; and I'd like to thank her for all the help she's given me with these fanfics, this past year.

Starlight

December 2017


	2. Kyoto

**2 KYOTO**

"The sun has remained shrouded in thick cloud ever since the sword went missing on Friday," said Aizawa, "the Shinto priests at Atsuta Shrine tried to keep news of the theft quiet, but with the enthronement coming in a few months and that interview given by Lin Wenjian, the media have guessed that something has happened. The tabloids keep publishing rumours. With the darkened skies, the entire affair has been blown out of proportion. It is making international news."

Shinsou and Shigeru were sitting across the table from him in his cramped office on the tenth floor of the Directorate.

"Well, what has it got to do with us?" asked Shinsou, "it's a matter for the police to solve."

"The _guji,_ or chief priest, of Atsuta Shrine informed the Imperial Palace of the theft," Aizawa continued, "and that interview that Lin Wenjian gave where he mentioned he'd like to own the sword is being emphasized by the media. He has denied taking it, of course. Fujiwara says an official from the Imperial Palace contacted the Directorate, asking if someone from our side could look into it."

"Well, why has it come to our group?" said Shinsou, "there are dozens of other agents in the Directorate!"

"The Palace asked if the agent who solved the Shiramine affair could be put on this case," explained Aizawa.

"Brother, you're famous," said Shigeru, slapping Shinsou on the shoulder, "even without being in a hero agency or being on the list for most popular hero!"

"I might have been glad at one time," acknowledged Shinsou, "but this kind of thing makes undercover work more difficult now."

He looked at Aizawa. "Fujiwara should have turned the Palace down. It's a case for the police – a simple theft. Someone sneaked into Atsuta Shrine and filched it."

Aizawa frowned at him.

"You don't understand what I've been telling you," he said sternly, "For an ordinary antique collector to steal an antique, yes, that is a simple theft case for the police. But when the antique collector is a high-ranking member of the Chinese Communist Party and the antique is one of the national treasures of Japan, it becomes a matter of national security."

He leaned forward, looking intently at Shinsou.

"Now, we don't even know if Lin Wenjian has taken it. He said he was interested in it, of course, in an interview. And in the past, things have disappeared after he's expressed interest in them. The police have searched his house and found nothing. We don't know how this is going to play out. But if that sword surfaces somewhere in China, there will be an uproar, even if Lin has done it in his own private capacity and it was not instigated by the Communist Party. It would be better to pre-empt that."

Shinsou was looking thoughtfully at Aizawa.

"You always stress on logic, Aizawa," he said, "What do you make of this phenomenon of the clouds hiding the sun? It's only happening in Japan. But the legend of Amaterasu is a myth, isn't it?"

Shigeru was tilting his chair back, looking out of the window. He was fiddling with his keys, an _omamori_ dangling from the keychain.

"Brother, what did I tell you," he said, "there's some truth in these things. Like the _yokai_. I tell you, they exist."

Aizawa glanced at Shigeru, then looked at Shinsou.

"I'll admit I emphasize on being rational, yes," he said, "when it comes to human behaviour. And there are scientists who are trying to explain the phenomenon of the cloudy skies. They say that the Baiu Front which brings the rainy season to Japan has set in early. But as for myth, when you think about it, some generations ago, there were no such things as Quirks. Superpowers were in the realm of fantasy. And now look how things are, today."

He, too, glanced out the window, at the gloomy sky.

"Myth or not, we have a problem to solve. Fujiwara has told the Palace that we would help find out whether or not the sword is with Lin, or whether it has to be looked for elsewhere. And since we have been given the order, we have to follow it."

Shinsou looked at him. "What do you want us to do?"

"You have to brainwash Lin Wenjian and find out if he took the sword," said Aizawa simply, "He's holed up in his house in Kyoto now that the media are after him, so he's not accessible. But his adopted daughter is getting married this week. I suggest that you drop by the wedding party and talk to him."

Shigeru gave a bark of laughter.

"Gatecrashing parties," he said, winking at Shinsou, "Brother, that's right up our street, isn't it?"

Aizawa looked disapprovingly at him.

"Once Shinsou brainwashes Lin, if the sword is there, Yanigahara, you go and get it. You're good at picking locks."

"Sounds straightforward enough," said Shinsou, "If we get it, where do you want us to bring it to? Directly to the Palace, since it'll have to be there for the enthronement, eventually?"

"No, you are to bring it back to Atsuta Shrine," said Aizawa, "The officials in charge may choose to use a replica of the sword for the enthronement, in order to safeguard the original. Whatever their decision, it would be better to return it to the priests in Nagoya."

"All right, then," said Shinsou, "What's the schedule for the wedding like?"

"The wedding ceremony is on Thursday," said Aizawa, "But there's a pre-wedding party on Wednesday night. The house and grounds are huge, and there'll be a lot of guests there, so it'll be easy for you to disguise yourselves and sneak in." He placed some photographs on his desk. "Just for your information, here are what the wife and daughter look like."

They leaned forward to look.

"My, that's a couple of fine-looking wenches," said Shigeru, admiringly.

Aizawa gave Shigeru another disapproving glance.

"You're going there to retrieve a sword, not pick up women, Yanigahara," he said, tartly.

"One can kill two birds with one stone," said Shigeru.

Shinsou was looking critically at the photographs. Lin Wenjian's wife looked extremely young, almost as young as her adopted daughter. The daughter had smooth curls the colour of bronze, and dark blue eyes.

"The wife looks all right," he said, "The daughter's got too much makeup on. I doubt that looks anything like her real face."

"Brother, you're too fussy," said Shigeru, "You can only see her face there. It's more important what the rest of her body looks like."

"I hope you're not going to get too distracted while you're there, Yanigahara," said Aizawa drily, "Try to curb your excesses. I've no doubt you enjoyed yourself in Shanghai, but you had better remember that you're on an assignment now. And stop trying to corrupt Shinsou."

"It's one of the main aims in my life," Shigeru assured him, grinning, and then looked at Shinsou. "Brother, your girlfriend is one hot chick, but you should have some fun before you settle down with her."

"I'm having enough fun, thank you," said Shinsou acidly, "One woman is enough for me."

"I'm thankful to hear that," commented Aizawa, "kindly refrain from ogling at too many women during the wedding, and find out what happened to the sword. If Lin has not taken it, that will be the end of the case for us. We'll inform the police that they'll have to look elsewhere."

.

.

Lin Wenjian's house in Kyoto was certainly large and luxurious. It had sprawling landscaped gardens in a curious mixture of Japanese and European styles, and the house itself was a three-storey twelve-bedroom mansion. The ground floor was in European style, with marble floors and chandeliers and elegant furniture, but the second and third floor bedrooms were a mix of western and traditional Japanese styles.

Shinsou had disguised himself and turned up early, as usual. The media were camping outside the house, and there were security guards checking everyone who was going in. He had no trouble brainwashing the guard into letting him through, and then installed himself as one of the extra serving staff hired for the occasion.

It was easier brainwashing people in Kyoto than in Shanghai, since everyone was speaking Japanese. He noticed that there were quite a number of security guards patrolling the place, whether to keep the media out or to guard the sword (assuming it was there), Shinsou couldn't tell. He managed to corner Lin Wenjian when he happened to encounter the latter in the dining room, and after brainwashing him, brought him to a small side office to talk to him.

"Talk to me as if we are having a normal conversation," Shinsou ordered, "Did you take the sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi from Atsuta Shrine?"

"It was done under my direction," said Lin, "but I was compelled to do it by someone else."

Shinsou stared at him. "Someone else?"

"I said I would like to have the sword, yes, in an interview," said Lin, "and it's true I would like to own it. But I did not really plan to steal it, this time. I might soon be under investigation for corruption in China and have enough to think about for the time being, and the Chinese President has been trying to improve relations with Japan. I would not anger him and do something stupid like stealing the sword and making it publicly known at a time like this. He is just waiting for an excuse to have me locked up."

"Who made you do it, then?" asked Shinsou.

"I don't know," said Lin, and although he was brainwashed, he looked fearful, "it was some kind of evil force. It spoke to me. I knew it would kill me if I didn't obey. It entered my body and took over. And it sent its minions to keep an eye on me and the sword."

"Minions?" said Shinsou.

"The Gang of Four," said Lin, "They are posing as bodyguards. Kubo-san and the Tosa threesome."

Shinsou had seen them in the foyer of the house. They were tall and muscular. Kubo had the head of a cobra, and the other three had the heads of ferocious dogs. Although they were using the name Tosa, they looked more like rottweilers.

"How did you manage to steal the sword?" asked Shinsou.

"I have a Warp Gate Quirk," said Lin, "that is how I have been stealing treasures in the past. But this time I was possessed by the evil force and had no control over my body. It made me bring myself and my adopted daughter to Atsuta Shrine. I was able to bypass the guards at Shrine by opening the Warp Gate right inside the treasury of the _Bunkaden_. The sword is sacred, and only those of the Imperial family or the Shinto priests of Atsuta Shrine are supposed to handle it. One does not know how it would respond to an ordinary person touching it. But my daughter has royal blood in her, and although she was an illegitimate child, she was able to take the sword."

"Where is it now?" asked Shinsou.

"Hidden in my daughter's bedroom," said Lin, "inside the safe where the wedding presents are kept. There's a secret compartment inside the safe. The police weren't able to find it when they searched the house."

"Does your daughter know where it is kept?" asked Shinsou.

"Of course," said Lin, "It could be that normal people can touch it, of course, but I would not dare to try. She was the one who placed it in the safe."

"Where is she now?" asked Shinsou.

"She is keeping to her bedroom for this evening," said Lin, "She is not supposed to appear until the actual wedding ceremony tomorrow."

"I suppose dinner will be brought up to her from the kitchens?" said Shinsou.

"Yes," said Lin.

"What is your daughter's name?" asked Shinsou, "and is there anyone else with her in her room?"

"Her name is Hanayo," answered Lin, "and her lady-in-waiting, Mariko, is with her."

Someone opened the door of the room at that moment, so Shinsou hurriedly said, "Continue with your activities this evening, as usual." He then made his way to the door. Lin's wife had opened it, and was looking in. She was surprised to see Shinsou, but he smiled and bowed politely to her, and then left the room.

.

.

Shinsou decided that it would be less disruptive if he accessed the princess's room by bringing her dinner tray up. After brainwashing a few of the kitchen staff, he managed to find out what time and who would be bringing the trolley up. He had just managed to extract this information and happened to be standing near the kitchen entrance, when he heard Lin Wenjian's wife scolding one of the staff outside in the corridor.

"You're too slow!" Mrs Lin was saying angrily, "There will be twenty girl children here tomorrow morning who need wreaths in their hair! You take almost an hour to make one!"

Shinsou glanced out. One of the kitchen staff was sitting on the floor, looking frightened. There were several large baskets of flowers next to her.

Mrs Lin saw Shinsou at the door.

"You, there!" she called imperiously, "Come and help her!"

"Me?" said Shinsou, incredulously. He looked around to check if she meant someone else.

"Yes, you," said Mrs Lin impatiently, "If no one else pitches in, this is not going to be done on time!"

"But I'm a waiter," Shinsou pointed out, adding, "and besides, this is girl's work."

"Girl? Girl?" said Mrs Lin, "This useless creature on the floor is a girl, isn't she? How good are her wreaths? They're ugly!"

The girl on the floor was crying. Shinsou was going to brainwash Mrs Lin and make an escape, but then changed his mind. If he was serving drinks to guests, he might miss noticing the dinner trolley being brought up to the princess's room. He might as well sit outside in the corridor so that he could see it the minute it came out of the kitchen.

He sat down next to the girl, and allowed her to teach him how the wreaths were made. The flowers were fresh, but he suspected that they would probably have wilted by the next morning.

He was just getting the hang of it, and was into his third wreath, when Shigeru came by and saw him.

"Brother, what on earth are you doing?" he asked, in astonishment.

"Making wreaths," said Shinsou.

He decided that he had better brainwash his wreath-making companion before continuing the conversation, so he turned to her and did so.

"Brother, not that I want to suppress your creative instincts, but this is an occupation for the fairer sex," said Shigeru, seriously.

"Well, I didn't volunteer," said Shinsou, "Lin Wenjian's wife ordered me to do it."

Shigeru's face brightened. "She's quite a looker, isn't she?"

"She's a lot younger than Lin," acknowledged Shinsou, "Don't tell me you've set your sights on her, this evening!"

"She's the best-looking female present, tonight!" exclaimed Shigeru, looking besotted.

He suddenly thought of something. "Did you ask Lin about the sword?"

"I was wondering when you were going to remember that," said Shinsou drily, "It's in the bride's bedroom, hidden among the wedding presents."

"Bedroom, eh?" Shigeru laughed heartily, "That's ideal! You can make out with the lass a bit before retrieving it!"

"Maybe you'd like to do the retrieving, then," Shinsou offered.

"Brother, I'll let you have her," said Shigeru generously, "I'm smitten with the mother. She's Ono no Komachi, I tell you."

"Thanks," said Shinsou, "but I don't mix business with pleasure. Besides, the lady-in-waiting is there as well."

"That's even better, brother!" Shigeru pointed out, "You can have two at one go. Brainwash both of 'em, and have a good time!"

Shinsou decided that the conversation was going nowhere.

"Give me the car key," he said, "I'll get the sword and leave first. You're going to be here till morning, aren't you? Where did you park the car?"

"Just outside the front gate," said Shigeru, "It should be easy to leave, no one's blocking." He tossed the key to Shinsou, who caught it neatly.

"Go pursue your Ono no Komachi, then," said Shinsou, "I'm busy."

"Making wreaths," said Shigeru sorrowfully, "Brother, I'm going to have to have a serious heart-to-heart talk with you, soon." He went off.

Shinsou managed to finish another two wreaths before he recognised the dinner trolley coming out. He hastily abandoned his companion and went over to the trolley, and brainwashed the maidservant who was pushing it.

The mansion was so large that it took a while before they reached the bedroom, which was on the third floor. Shinsou told the maidservant to make her way back to the kitchen, and then knocked on the door. There was no answer, so after a while he cautiously turned the handle, and went in.

The princess was asleep in her bed. Shinsou recognised her by her hair, although her curls appeared less smooth than in the photo, and instead of bronze they were a drab brown. He looked at her for a few moments. She looked a lot plainer without all the makeup on. In fact, she had a fresh sprinkling of acne on her face, and he found himself feeling rather sorry for her. It only pays to be a princess, he thought, if you're good-looking. Otherwise he could imagine all the hurtful remarks she probably had to put up with.

He was wondering whether to wake her up, but decided he had better dispose of the lady-in-waiting first. He could see someone outside on the balcony, and made his way over there.

The lady-in-waiting was standing at the balustrade, holding a bag. To his astonishment, a large, white bird suddenly erupted from within her, flying up and away and then circling around and coming back.

"It looks like a swan," thought Shinsou, fascinated. "It must be her Quirk."

He watched as the bird came back and landed on the balustrade. The girl handed the bag to it, and when it was holding the bag securely, it spread its large wings and took off.

As the swan flew off, the clouds parted. The sky, which had been overcast for days, became clear, and stars were visible. The girl watched the bird until it disappeared, and then turned around and saw Shinsou.

"Who are you?" she demanded, bossily.

"I brought the dinner tray up from the kitchen," said Shinsou.

"Megumi normally brings it," said the girl, "Where is she?"

Shinsou decided that he might as well see if she knew how to extract the sword from the safe for him. Otherwise, he would have to wake the princess up.

"She's not feeling well, today," he said.

"Well, you're late – " she snapped, and then her face went blank.

"Do you know where the sword, Kusanagi no Tsurugi, is?" asked Shinsou.

"Yes," she said.

"Show me its hiding place inside the safe," he said.

She led him back into the bedroom, and opened a large safe in one corner. There was a pile of jewellery inside. She moved the pile aside, and opened a hidden compartment. Shinsou leaned over to look. It was empty.

He didn't want to wake the princess yet, so he led the lady-in-waiting back out onto the balcony.

"The sword isn't in the safe any more," he said, "Where is it?"

"I just sent it off with my swan," she said, "to Shimonoseki."

Shinsou suppressed an urge to throttle her. "I just missed it!" he thought, furiously.

"Call the swan back!" he ordered.

"I can't," she said.

"Why not?" demanded Shinsou, "it's your Quirk, isn't it?"

"She's too far away, by now," she said, "I'll only be able to communicate with her when I go to Shimonoseki."

"Where in Shimonoseki is she going?" he asked.

"To the house of Kazuko Harada," she said, and named the address.

"Why did you send the sword off?" asked Shinsou, after taking down the address.

"Because it is a sacred sword," she said, "and it is in evil hands, here."

At that moment, the bedroom door suddenly burst open, and Shigeru came dashing in. The disturbance woke the princess, and she sat up in her bed. The lady-in-waiting also started, and came out of her trance.

"Brother, have you got the sword?" Shigeru panted, seeing Shinsou on the balcony, "I think it's time we made a quick exit."

"Who are you?" demanded the lady-in-waiting angrily, glaring at him.

"No, I haven't," said Shinsou irritably, "this girl here has sent it off to Shimonoseki."

"How did you know that?" she exclaimed, her eyes widening.

"Well, do you have the address of the place it was sent to?" asked Shigeru, trying to catch his breath, and looking nervous.

"Yes, I took it down," said Shinsou, frowning, "What's making you so jumpy?"

"Brother, since you have the address, I think we should leave at once," said Shigeru, "Lin caught me with his wife, and now he's sent his guards after me."

The lady-in-waiting looked shocked. "You flirted with the mistress of the house?"

"You really are the limit!" said Shinsou, with asperity, "Our priority here is to get that damn sword back into Atsuta Shrine before the enthronement, but all you think of is getting laid!"

"Don't speak of the sword in that manner!" cried the lady-in-waiting, her eyes flashing.

"Girlie, you're a good-looking wench," said Shigeru, "I'm sorry I won't have the chance to get to know you better. But I have to go now. Brother, let's make ourselves scarce!"

Shinsou heard the sounds of running steps, and several guards burst into the bedroom. Shigeru had already run up the wall of the house and disappeared onto the roof. Shinsou pulled the hooked climbing gear used during the ninja training out of his pocket, and followed him.

They made their way rapidly over the roof, and then leapt off onto the nearest tree. Fortunately the road leading to the house was lined with trees, all the way to the gate, and they made their way stealthily from tree to tree until they reached the car.

Shigeru was the better evasive driver, so Shinsou tossed the car key to him. They had just gotten into the car and were going to move off, when a shadow dashed out from the driveway of the house, yanked the back door of their car open, and got into the back seat.

"What the hell? – " exclaimed Shigeru.

Shinsou pulled his multi-thonged whip out and swiftly enveloped the shadow in its thongs. The intruder gave a muffled scream, and began struggling. He pulled the whip tighter and said, "The more you struggle, the tighter the whip is going to get. Eventually, you won't be able to breathe."

The intruder stopped struggling. Shinsou switched the car overhead light on, and it illuminated his captive. It had dishevelled pink hair, and the eyes that looked at him were big and frightened.

It was the princess's lady-in-waiting.


	3. The Lady-In-Waiting

**3 THE LADY-IN-WAITING**

Shinsou stared at the girl.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded, "Get out! We don't need you interfering in our affairs!"

"Brother, that's no way to speak to a lady," Shigeru remonstrated.

Shinsou loosened the whip and removed it, so that the girl could get out. She was looking at him with big eyes.

"Please let me go with you!" she said, "If you do, I can get the sword for you! You can't get it without me. I've ordered my swan not to deliver it up to anyone but me."

"Is she telling the truth?" enquired Shigeru.

"I can brainwash her, to find out," said Shinsou.

Several people were running out of the front gate now.

"Drive!" Shinsou said sharply, to Shigeru. The latter promptly started the car and stepped hard on the accelerator, so that it shot off.

Shinsou looked at the girl in the back seat.

"Why would you want to help us?" he asked.

"You said you wanted to send the sword back to Atsuta Shrine," she said, "That means you have no ill intent."

"Why didn't you send the sword there, instead of Shimonoseki?" said Shinsou, annoyed. "You would have saved us a lot of trouble."

"I thought of it," she faltered, "but I was afraid it would just get stolen again. The same way it was stolen, the first time. At Shimonoseki, no one will know where it is."

Shinsou looked at her. She seemed to have thought things through.

"How did you manage to touch the sword?" he asked, "Does that mean that other people besides the royal family or the Shinto priests are able to handle it?"

A cunning expression came over her face.

"I wrapped it in a cloth," she said, "so that it didn't come into contact with my bare hands."

Shinsou looked suspiciously at her. "What is your name, and why are you running away?"

"My name's Mariko," said the girl, "I'm leaving because my employers have been treating me badly. I want to go back to my home in Shimonoseki. That's where I sent the sword."

Shigeru was driving at a great rate, but he had to stop at a traffic light. They had not stopped there for ten seconds when a few other cars pulled up behind, and several people, whom Shinsou recognised as the guards from the house, got out.

Shigeru promptly stepped hard on the accelerator, and the car lunged forward. Several cars coming from the right and left almost hit them, and screeched to a halt, horns blaring.

"What are you doing!" screamed Mariko, "You madman, you went through a red light! You almost got us killed!"

"Relax, girlie," said Shigeru, "It's either that, or we get caught. Your former master's guards are hot on our tail."

"They're being quite persistent. I wouldn't have considered the nature of your offence that serious," remarked Shinsou, puzzled.

"Me too," said Shigeru, "It was worth it, though. That Lin's wife is one hottie!"

Mariko's eyes became round. "You slept with the mistress of the house!" she exclaimed, in horror.

"I tried to," said Shigeru mournfully, "but unfortunately, your master interrupted us too early."

"You're a disgusting and lewd man!" she said, looking deeply offended.

"You're not bad-looking, either, girlie," said Shigeru, leering at her, "I'm sure we can get to know each other better on the way to Shimonoseki."

"Stop calling me girlie!" she said angrily.

Several cars were gaining on them from behind now, and Shigeru suddenly stepped harder on the accelerator. The car jerked forward abruptly, and Mariko was thrown against the back seat.

"Watch your driving!" she exclaimed.

"They're really persistent," said Shinsou.

Several of the occupants of one of the cars behind had somehow jumped out of the car windows. It was the Tosa threesome, and they had transformed into huge dogs. They ran incredibly fast, and were actually catching up with the car.

Shinsou reached out of the window and scattered several caltrops on the ground. He then brought out several of Shigeru's shurikens, and threw them, one after another, at one of the dogs. It gave an angry yelp, and fell back.

"I find this really strange," said Shinsou, "it's totally out of proportion to the crime committed."

Mariko gulped, and Shinsou noticed her tightening her hold on her bag. He looked at her with narrowed eyes. "What have you got in that bag?"

"Nothing much," she said evasively, "just my clothes."

Shinsou reached a hand out, and before she knew what was happening, he had whisked the bag away from her.

"Stop!" she squeaked, trying to snatch it back, "Those are my things!"

"No, they're not," Shinsou said coldly, looking inside the bag, "They're the wedding gifts. You stole your mistress's jewellery, didn't you?"

"Well … " she faltered, "I – I didn't have any money, and I needed something to survive on while getting to Shimonoseki."

"That's nonsense," said Shinsou, "How much does a train ticket cost? That explains why those guards are chasing us." He looked at the dogs still in hot pursuit, and then, leaning out of his window, tossed the bag of jewellery at one of them.

"What are you doing!" Mariko shrieked, "That was my jewellery!"

The dog caught the bag in its jaws, and promptly stopped to look inside.

"It's not your jewellery," said Shinsou coolly, "and I'm solving our problem. They're not chasing us because of Shigeru, they're chasing us because they saw you in the car and they know you stole the wedding gifts. Once they've gotten them back, it'll probably be easier to convince them to let us go."

"They don't seem to be giving up, though," remarked Shigeru.

One of the occupants in the car behind was leaning slightly out of the window. There were several loud reports, and a few bullets whizzed past.

Shinsou swore. "They're shooting at us!"

Shigeru tossed him a gun, and he wound his window down and began shooting back.

Mariko gave a small gasp. "You have a gun!"

"Yes," said Shinsou, leaning out and firing a few more shots, "and a good thing too, otherwise we'd have nothing to fend them off with." He ducked back in, as the car behind returned his fire.

"But in Japan, only the police and criminals have guns!" said Mariko, looking shocked.

"How clever of you, girlie," said Shigeru, "Which do you think we are?"

The words were hardly out of his mouth, when the car engine suddenly made a sputtering sound.

"Uh – oh," said Shigeru.

"Now, what?" said Shinsou, glaring at him.

"The car's out of gas," said Shigeru, looking apologetic.

"I thought I told you to fill it up!" said Shinsou, exasperated.

"Well, I forgot," said Shigeru.

He stopped the car, and he and Shinsou hurriedly gathered their things and got out. Shinsou opened the back door of the car and pulled Mariko out.

"Oh, what's happening!" she cried, looking flustered. The pursuing cars had halted behind them, and their occupants were also getting out.

"Run!" barked Shinsou. He grabbed Mariko's hand, pulling her along with him and Shigeru.

They dashed down several alleys, and as they approached a market, they saw a truck about to move off. Shigeru ran up to it, yanked the rear door open and scrambled in, followed by Shinsou and Mariko.

They hastily pulled the truck doors shut, and sat in darkness as the truck drove off. There was a musty smell all around them. Presently, Shigeru took a cigarette lighter out and flicked it. The small flame illuminated a half empty truck with a pile of vegetables, including onions, in a corner.

Mariko wrinkled her nose. "This place smells!"

Shinsou regarded her coolly. "Would you like to sit in a fish truck instead?"

Shigeru extinguished the lighter flame.

"Why did you do that?" exclaimed Mariko, "Now we'll be sitting in darkness!"

"Girlie, I'm saving my lighter fluid," said Shigeru.

"Stop calling me girlie!" said Mariko.

"Any plan?" Shinsou said to Shigeru.

"We should be able to shake them off, now that we're in this truck," answered Shigeru, "Once the truck stops, we should be able to find our way to the train station and make our way to Yamaguchi."

"Aren't we going to rest a bit first?" asked Mariko plaintively, "I'm tired."

"You can sleep now," said Shinsou, "We'll wake you up when the truck stops."

"I can't sleep with two strange men in a dark truck!" said Mariko disparagingly, "Especially this lecher," she added, referring to Shigeru.

"Girlie, we have the same thoughts," said Shigeru smarmily, "Come sit next to me and we can have a nice cuddle."

Mariko gave a small squeak of fright.

"You have to protect me from him!" she said, appealing to Shinsou.

"He's just joking," said Shinsou calmly, "Go to sleep. No one's going to touch you."

There was a pause, and then Mariko said haughtily, "I've never been treated so insultingly in my entire life!"

"You don't behave much like a servant," remarked Shinsou, "If you were this high and mighty in front of your mistress, it's no wonder you weren't treated well."

"You're a spirited lass," said Shigeru lazily, "Those are more exciting to have around."

Shinsou was feeling around for his wallet.

"How much is the train fare to Shimonoseki?" he asked Shigeru.

"Oh, and you had better compensate me, now that you've thrown all my jewellery away!" added Mariko.

"It wasn't your jewellery," said Shinsou coldly, "and you had better not talk about ethics, since you've been stealing."

"How dare you speak to me that way!" said Mariko, "It would serve you right if the police arrested you in the end for abducting me!"

"Stop talking nonsense," said Shinsou sternly, "We didn't abduct you, you asked to come with us. I think the princess is well rid of you. She could probably do with a less irritating servant."

"Don't call me a servant!" she flashed.

There was a pause, and then Shinsou said quietly, "Shigeru, can you give us some light again?"

"What for?" asked Shigeru. He flicked his lighter. The flame showed Shinsou looking hard at Mariko.

"She doesn't behave much like a lady-in-waiting," he said, "and our pursuers were unusually persistent, even after we returned the wedding jewellery."

Mariko was looking at him, frightened.

"What are you trying to say – ?" she said, and then her face went blank.

"Brother, what are you doing?" asked Shigeru.

Shinsou was looking intently at the lady-in-waiting.

"Tell me your real name and identity," he said quietly, to her.

"My real name is Hanayo Matsuyama," said Mariko, staring blankly into space, "I am the adopted daughter of Lin Wenjian, also known as Ichiro Matsuyama, and his wife Satomi, and the true daughter of the geisha Katsuno and Prince Nobuhito, fourth in line to the throne."


	4. The Vintage Shop

**4 THE VINTAGE SHOP**

Shinsou : Aizawa? Shinsou here. Are you sure this phone line can't be tapped?

Aizawa : No, it can't. What's happening? Did you find out if Lin Wenjian stole the sword?

Shinsou : Yes. I managed to brainwash him, and he said that he did. But it isn't in his house. It's in Shimonoseki.

Aizawa : Shimonoseki? What is it doing there?

Shinsou : His daughter took it without him knowing, and sent it there. She has imperial blood and thinks he has no right to possess it.

Aizawa : Daughter? It has been all over the news that someone abducted her during the party.

Shinsou : [pause]

Aizawa : Hello?

Shinsou : [reluctantly] Well … actually, we're the ones who abducted her.

Aizawa : …

Shinsou : Hello?

Aizawa : You did what?!

Shinsou : We didn't know it was her. We thought it was her lady-in-waiting. She'd disguised herself and swapped places with the lady-in-waiting because she planned to run away. Lin Wenjian matchmade her with some Chinese businessman's son, and she didn't fancy the groom.

Aizawa : Are the two of you mad? What did you want to abduct the lady-in-waiting for?

Shinsou : Well, actually, we didn't really abduct her. She asked if she could come with us.

Aizawa : Well, why did you agree? You had better send her back to her parents' house at once!

Shinsou : We can't send her back. Because we can't get the sword without her. She's got a swan Quirk, something like Tokoyami's Dark Shadow. She told the swan to bring the sword to Shimonoseki, and not to surrender it to anyone but her.

Aizawa : Do you realise that half the police in Japan are after you?

Shinsou : Yes, we did rather notice that.

Aizawa : Why did she want to follow the two of you?

Shinsou : She knew we were going to Shimonoseki and thought it would be easier if she tagged along with us. She plans to stay with her old governess who lives there. She thinks her adoptive parents won't miss her. Lin Wenjian is seldom even in Japan. After the wedding she wouldn't have seen them much any more anyway, because she would have gone to China to stay with the groom's family.

Aizawa : I see. Well, removing the sword from Lin's possession does seem to have improved things – the skies appear to have cleared somewhat. And speaking of Lin, he has suddenly left the country.

Shinsou : That doesn't surprise me. He said that someone else made him steal the sword. Now that it's missing, he must have fled out of fear.

Aizawa : Someone else? Who?

Shinsou : I don't think he knows himself. He said it was some evil force. Even though he was brainwashed, it seemed to strike fear into him.

Aizawa : Why not just give the girl over to the police, and let them get the sword back from her?

Shinsou : We thought of that, but the police are sure to let the news out that Lin Wenjian took the sword, and we didn't think that would be good for relations with China, especially since he said someone else made him do it. It would be better if Shigeru and I get it and quietly return it to Atsuta Shrine. Secondly, Lin Wenjian's 'evil force' left some bodyguards to watch the sword – a cobra-headed man and three dogs. They'll probably move in and take the sword when the police try to get it. It may be very difficult to get it back after that.

Aizawa : Well, what are you going to do now?

Shinsou : We're going to try to get to Shimonoseki, of course.

Aizawa : How are you going to do that without being caught by the police? And have you got enough money?

Shinsou : Yes, we have money. And Shigeru says he knows a way. That's why I'm calling you. To let you know that you may not be able to contact us for a while – we don't want anyone tracking us through the GPS on our phones. I have to go now. I'll try to update you when I can.

.

.

Shinsou ended the call with Aizawa, and then glanced at the other two in the room. Hanayo, the princess, had shed her curly pink wig, and her long, bronze curls were now hidden under another short, blonde wig, which was meant to disguise her to look like a boy.

After their journey in the vegetable truck, they had gotten out near the geisha district of Kamishichiken. Since the police were searching for the princess, it wasn't feasible for them to stay in a hotel, so Shinsou had brainwashed one of the mama-sans to allow them to hide in her geisha house.

Since Kamishichiken was a _hanamachi_ , or geisha district, it possessed a number of shops catering to geisha, some of which sold costumes and wigs for various performances. Shinsou had brainwashed one of the maiko into buying them some new disguises. They had decided that the princess had better dress as a boy. She had kicked up a fuss, but Shinsou had solved the problem by brainwashing her.

Shinsou had then brainwashed a taxi driver to bring them to Kibune, a village half an hour's drive away on the outskirts of Kyoto. They were now staying in a small ryokan, where they had used a fabricated name for the registration. Shigeru thought it too risky to try taking a train to Shimonoseki, even though they had put on fresh disguises. The police would probably be watching all the train stations closely, and Lin Wenjian's bodyguards were also after them. They probably thought that the sword was with the princess, and they would obviously want to try getting it back. The Tosa threesome were dogs, and they might be able to recognise the princess's scent, even if she was in disguise.

Shigeru planned to travel to Shimonoseki by hiking through the Chugoku mountains, all the way from Kyoto Prefecture through Hyogo and then Tottori and Shimane Prefectures, and finally to Yamaguchi. It would take longer, but they would be able to avoid the police and the bodyguards that way, and he said he knew someone living around Mt Sajikigatake who could help them and guide them through the mountains.

Hanayo was looking sullen. The escapade was turning out to be more complicated than she had bargained for. She had acted on impulse, not putting much thought into who she had chosen to travel with, and she had not realised that Shinsou and Shigeru had been in disguise.

She had been quite unnerved when they put on their new disguises, because they looked so different. One would have thought that she was with an entirely different pair of men. Their use of the gun in the car, and the way they had systematically disposed of their disguises and obtained new ones, and matter-of-factly told her to don one as well, had made her realise that they were not ordinary do-gooders out to perform a good deed by retrieving the sword.

"We can't tell you exactly who we are," Shinsou had told her calmly, when she had asked, "Just take it that we have the same goal that you have of restoring the sword to the place where it belongs."

Hanayo had realised, of course, that he had brainwashed her. She had seen him brainwashing the mama-san, and then she had woken up in Kibune when the last she remembered was having an argument with him in the geisha house. Not only that, but she had found herself disguised as a boy when she woke up, wearing a baggy shirt and jacket and with makeup applied to her face that made her look most unlike herself. She had tried to wash it off, but had been unable to. Shigeru had subsequently told her that the makeup had been developed in the labs where he worked, and that only a special makeup remover could get rid of it.

She had been angry and had threatened to run away, but Shinsou had asked her what she was going to do for money, since in her haste she had left her ATM card at home. He also pointed out that the police would probably catch her almost immediately and return her to her parents' house.

She now flicked an angry glance at him. Although Shigeru was much older than Shinsou, and despite his flirtatious remarks, he was friendlier, and she found his Quirk less threatening. Shinsou, to her, came across as cold and heartless, and although he was only a year older than she was, she realised that unless she kept silent, she was pretty much in his power. Ever since Lin Wenjian had adopted her, she had become used to having her way and ordering people around, and she was not used to being in this sort of situation.

They had bought clothes and boots and equipment suitable for trekking. Hanayo tried the boots on.

"They feel so hard and uncomfortable," she complained.

"Fear not, O Hanayo-hime," said Shigeru cheerfully, "That's because they're new. They'll be more comfortable once you've broken them in." He could see that she thought they might have violated her modesty while she had been brainwashed, and had taken pity on her once he had noticed her genuine discomfort at being with them; and so, he had ceased his flirtatious comments for the time being.

"Here's your bag," said Shinsou coolly, handing it to her, "it's the smallest and lightest. You should be able to handle it."

Hanayo picked the bag up.

"It's so heavy!" she protested, "There's no way I'm going to be able to carry that for more than ten minutes!"

"It can't be that bad," said Shinsou inflexibly, "Just give it a try. We've given you the minimum to carry. You can't expect me and Shigeru to carry everything."

A stubborn expression came over her face. "What if I refuse?"

Shinsou said nothing, but he gave her a small smile. She glared at him, because she knew the answer.

She took refuge with Shigeru.

"It's so unfair," she complained, still glaring at Shinsou, who was now at the other end of the room finishing the packing, "he doesn't care at all about how I feel about anything. The minute I say something isn't right, I know he'll brainwash me. It's intolerable. I've never been treated this way before!"

"O Hanayo-hime, don't be upset," said Shigeru, "We'll be in Shimonoseki before you know it, and the Chugoku mountains are beautiful. And our guide is a very special person. You'll be surprised when you meet her."

Hanayo was intrigued. "It's a lady? Can she guide us through the mountains?"

Shigeru laughed.

"More than a lady, your Highness! But I won't spoil the surprise. You'll see when you meet her."

"Let's get going," said Shinsou. He had finished packing the small tent they had bought. Hanayo frowned when she picked her bag up, but Shinsou was watching her, so she just looked sulky and said nothing.

They made their way out of the village. The narrow road outside the ryokan was lined with inns and restaurants and there were a number of tourists around, so Shigeru led them to a path running along the Kibune River, where there were fewer people. It was summer, and many of the restaurant owners had built covered platforms out over the river so that customers could enjoy their meals with the water flowing beneath them.

The shops right at the edge of the village were perched on a hill, overlooking the surrounding forest and mountains, and the very last shop at the corner caught Hanayo's eye. It appeared to be a vintage shop, and the faded sign above the door said, "Kyoto Bijutsu".

"Why, there used to be a shop in Gion with this name that my mother used to bring me to," she exclaimed, looking at it, "And it looked just the same!"

"Your mother?" said Shigeru, "That good-looking dame?"

"Not my adopted mother," said Hanayo frostily, frowning at his lapse back into womanising speech, "My real mother. The geisha."

"There must be a lot of shops around calling themselves 'Kyoto Bijutsu'," remarked Shinsou.

"Oh, but it looks exactly the same!" said Hanayo, "I used to _love_ this shop. Can we go in just for a minute? Please, please."

She did not wait for him to reply, but dumped her bag on the ground, ran over to the shop door, and entered it.

Shinsou looked impatient. "She's dressed as a boy. Who's going to believe two men and a boy would be interested in a vintage shop?"

"Brother, cut the lady some slack," said Shigeru good-naturedly, "You've been quite strict with her."

Shinsou frowned, but he acknowledged that the happenings of the past two days were probably something of a culture shock to anyone as pampered as the princess. He laid his backpack down on the ground.

"Here, you stay with the bags and keep an eye on them," he said, "When women start shopping, they take hours. I'll give her five minutes, and then if she won't budge, I'm going to brainwash her."

He entered the shop. It was rather dim, but clean and pleasant, and there were many collectibles inside, old-fashioned vases and fans and costume jewellery, and racks full of second-hand clothes, including kimonos, still in good condition. Hanayo was standing in front of a pile of _furoshiki_ , her eyes wide.

"It's the same shop!" she whispered, when she saw Shinsou, "They must have moved here from the Gion district! I recognise the shop lady, her name is Miura-san!"

"Well, don't tell them who you are," said Shinsou, "Don't forget that you're in disguise."

She pouted, but then moved away and began making her way over to the shop owner at the counter. Shinsou was about to follow, when he saw the cufflinks.

They were in a corner together with several others, on a rack that also contained costume jewellery. They came in the shape of silver fox-heads, and looked exactly like the cufflink that Shigeru had lost, and had asked Shinsou to buy as a replacement.

He was wondering whether to get them, when he noticed that Hanayo had struck up an animated conversation with the shop lady. He made his way over to the counter.

"Yes, yes, I was very close to your aunt, you know," the shop lady was saying, "She used to come to the shop in Gion often with her daughter. Such a beautiful little girl. She looked a bit like you, actually! Especially the dark blue eyes. I can see the family resemblance."

Hanayo looked slightly guilty and avoided Shinsou's eye. She had refused to put on contact lenses or wear glasses.

"She loved looking at the things in the shop," continued the shop lady, "She must have grown up, by now."

"The last time you saw her must have been when she was about eleven," Hanayo ventured.

"Yes, and then your aunt had her adopted," said the shop lady, "It's wonderful you seem to have nothing against her. She said the family disowned her because she chose to be a geisha. Did you know, when she was sick, she didn't go back to them, or even to her geisha house. She came to stay with us."

"Stay with you?" Hanayo faltered.

"Yes, I told you I was close to her," said the shop lady, "she didn't consider anyone family any more, except her daughter. It broke her heart to have her girl adopted, you know. She knew she was dying, and that's why she did it. She didn't even tell the girl."

"Yes," whispered Hanayo, "I only – I mean, we only found out she had been ill after she died."

"You should tell your family to bury the past," said the shop lady, "I might have some of her things here, I don't know what to do with them. It would be best if they were returned to the family."

"You have my moth – I mean, my aunt's belongings?" said Hanayo.

"Yes," said the shop lady, "Let me see if I can find them."

She called out to someone at the back of the shop.

"Emi-chan! Do you remember where we kept Katsuno-san's things? Can you bring them here?"

She suddenly noticed Shinsou standing there, and smiled at him.

"How much are those cufflinks over there?" Shinsou asked.

The shop lady put her glasses on, and went over to the stand where the cufflinks were.

Shinsou suddenly heard a knocking sound at the window. Shigeru was rapping on the glass, and the expression on his face looked rather urgent.

"I'm afraid we have to go, now," he said swiftly, "We can come back another time."

"But – " said Hanayo, and then her face went blank.

The shop lady's assistant had come out holding a faded book in her hand.

"I'll just take that first," said Shinsou, seeing that Hanayo was incapable of taking the book. He bowed to the shop lady and the assistant, and hurried the princess out of the shop.

"I see Kubo over there," said Shigeru, when they had joined him outside.

Shinsou glanced in the direction that he was indicating. Sure enough, the cobra-headed man could be seen in the distance.

"How did he manage to track us down?" he asked, "What about the Tosa boys?"

"No sign yet," said Shigeru, "I think we should get started, immediately."

"Hold on a minute," said Shinsou, stopping him, "Is it wise to go off into the wilderness with those dogs on our heels?"

"We just need to find the guide," said Shigeru, "She can mask our tracks."

"Who _is_ she?" demanded Shinsou, "You've been very mysterious about her so far. It's extremely peculiar for us to be having a woman who lives in the middle of nowhere for a guide as well. I think you had better explain yourself clearly."

"Oh, all right," said Shigeru, rather reluctantly, "I didn't mention it because I knew you wouldn't believe me. Our guide is a kitsune."

Shinsou stared at him.

"Kitsune?" he said, "A fox?"

"Yes," said Shigeru, "I told you, the _yokai_ exist. I met this particular kitsune years ago. I did her a favour … helped her recover her _hoshi no tama_ , you know, that jewel where she keeps her power. I'm hoping she'll return me the favour and lead us through the mountains."

"Hoping?" said Shinsou, "Are you telling me you don't even know if she'll agree to come with us?"

"Er … well, yes," admitted Shigeru, "but if she does, she'll be a huge help. They're powerful, you know, kitsune. She can camouflage us so that we can't be seen, and she can mask our tracks. The dogs won't be able to follow."

"Well, what if she doesn't agree to come?" asked Shinsou, "Does this fox have a name? Where is she to be found?"

"Then we can come back and risk the train," said Shigeru humbly, "Her name is Hideko. She lives at the foot of Mt Sajikigatake, about two days' hike from here. There's a pond there with a shrine to Inari next to it, and she can usually be found somewhere around there."

Shinsou had a resigned expression on his face. "I really wonder whether we're going to come out of this in one piece."

He woke Hanayo from her trance, thinking it would be easier for her to clamber down the hill if she wasn't brainwashed. Telling her sternly to follow Shigeru, he let the latter lead the way, and then resolutely followed the both of them down the steep dirt track.


	5. The Kiso Horse

**5 THE KISO HORSE**

Shinsou managed to tolerate Hanayo's complaining for about an hour before he lost patience. She kept up a constant litany of protests, first grumbling about the ryokan they had stayed in, that it had been the oldest and shabbiest in the village, the bathroom had mould in it, and her bed had smelled stale and had bugs in it. When Shigeru explained that they had chosen that ryokan because there were hardly any people staying in it, she sniffed and said she could see why.

After that she began whining that she looked ugly dressed as a boy, that her bag was too heavy, her boots hurt her feet, she was becoming sweaty and dirty, and that the hike was too tiring. Shinsou finally brainwashed her, and told her to follow Shigeru and not utter a sound.

He woke her up when they decided to stop for a meal, but she was angry that she had been brainwashed, and refused to do anything to help. She expected them to wait on her hand and foot, and produced a steady stream of complaints about how badly they were treating her, and how vile everything was. In the end Shinsou brainwashed her again, and then made her prepare the meal and wash the pots and plates, and do all the packing.

"Brother, it is not proper to treat royalty, thus!" Shigeru protested, "You're turning her into little more than a scullery maid!"

"If I don't wring her neck before all this is over, it'll be a miracle," said Shinsou savagely, his eyes flashing in anger.

He kept her brainwashed, and after lunch forced her to march behind Shigeru. An hour later, however, they noticed that she was limping. They stopped and took her boots off, and discovered that there were many painful-looking blisters on them.

"I suppose we might have expected it," said Shinsou, in a resigned tone of voice. There was no way they could continue with her in that condition, so they decided to stop for the day.

They put some ointment on her blisters, but the next morning, her feet still didn't look good, and they decided to wait until after lunch to decide what to do.

"We were supposed to make it to Mt Sajikigatake in two days," said Shinsou, "at this rate, it's going to take a week to get there."

"Maybe I could carry her on my back," Shigeru offered. But they both knew that this suggestion was ridiculous.

"In Iga you told me you knew how to make some sort of healing salve," Shinsou said, "have a look around and see if you can find the ingredients for it."

Shigeru went off to look for the right plants. Since there was a spring nearby and Hanayo had not bathed the day before, Shinsou figured that she might as well have a bath. He told the brainwashed girl to get a clean set of clothes and head for the spring.

When she came back, he told her to sit in a corner and keep quiet. Shigeru came back with his herbs, and they then discussed what to do.

"I can't see any other option except to get her a horse," said Shinsou, "otherwise we'll be stopping every other day."

"Yes," agreed Shigeru, "but where are we going to get one?"

"Where does one normally get horses?" Shinsou asked.

"There's Kyoto racecourse," suggested Shigeru.

Shinsou gave a snort of laughter.

"Don't be absurd," he said, "we'd have to go back to the city for that. You're more familiar with this area … aren't there any farms about? Or wild horses?"

"Brother, a wild horse would be too wild to let her sit on him," Shigeru pointed out, "and there aren't any farms near here, as far as I know."

"There was a brochure at the reception of the ryokan advertising a farm stay," said Shinsou, "I should have taken a better look at it."

In the end they decided that someone would have to try locating that farm, even though they didn't know whether there was a horse there. Shigeru was better at handling horses, but he felt Shinsou should be the one to look for it, because he could brainwash the farmer into selling them the horse, and also brainwash someone into giving him transport to the farm.

They had switched off their cell phones because they didn't want anyone to be able to use the GPS to locate them. Shigeru thought that there must be a road some distance to the east, so Shinsou set off in that direction.

He eventually did find a road. It was a remote place, and there weren't many cars. He waited a while and tried thumbing a lift, but two cars went by and didn't stop. Finally, he located a pile of small boulders nearby and rolled some onto the road. The next car that came along stopped, and the driver got out to move the boulders out of the way.

Shinsou brainwashed the driver, and then used the driver's smartphone to get onto the internet and search for the farm with the farm stay. He found the website, and used the phone to call the farm. The woman who answered told him that yes, the farm owned a horse.

He made the driver bring him to the farm which was about an hour's drive away, and then dismissed him. The farmer's wife opened the door. After Shinsou had brainwashed her, she said that no one else was at home. There were some tourists staying at the farm, and the farmer had brought them to the mountain nearby to dig for _nagaimo_ , or mountain yams.

Shinsou got her to show him the horse. It was a pretty little mare. The farmer used it to give rides to children who came to stay, and it seemed good-natured enough.

The farm had a truck which was used to transport livestock, such as goats. Shinsou decided that it was big enough to transport the horse. Although it wasn't ideal, he had no other choice. He made the farmer's wife give him a halter as well as a bridle and saddle, and also some rope to tether the horse with. He then got her to blindfold the horse, lead it up a ramp onto the truck, and supply him with a large bag of carrots and apples. He ordered her to drive the truck back to the road near their camp, and got into the back of the truck with the horse.

Fortunately, the mare was a placid creature, and the journey didn't seem to bother her. Shinsou somehow managed to keep her busy with the apples until they reached their destination. He then gave the farmer's wife some money, and told her to drive back to the farm.

Shigeru was sitting with the princess, having their evening meal, when he saw Shinsou riding the mare back. His face broke into a smile.

"Good work, brother! How did you manage to get it?"

Shinsou briefly recounted what had happened.

Shigeru was looking at the horse.

"It looks like a Kiso horse," he said.

"What's that?" Shinsou asked.

"It's indigenous to Japan," explained Shigeru, "the only native horse found in Honshu. I'm surprised the farmer has one. It's endangered. Did you pay them for it?"

"I gave the farmer's wife a bit of money," admitted Shinsou, "not really enough to pay for a rare horse, though."

"You shouldn't have wasted it," said Shigeru, scowling, "I'd wager they got it illegally."

Shinsou was looking critically at Hanayo, who was still sitting, blank-faced and brainwashed. "How is she getting along?"

"Her feet are better, brother," Shigeru said proudly, "my healing salve works wonders."

"Good," said Shinsou, "she can wash up, after the meal."

The next morning, Hanayo still appeared to be in a brainwashed state. Shinsou thought it a bit odd, but decided to let her be. Her feet really looked better, and despite Shigeru's protests, Shinsou made her prepare breakfast, do all the washing up, and dismantle and pack the tent.

"It'll do her good," he said, "She probably won't be treated like a princess any longer once she starts living at Shimonoseki, and she might as well find out what the real world is like."

They installed her on the horse, and took turns to lead it. By evening, they were quite near Mt Sajikigatake. Shinsou continued to order Hanayo around. She obediently helped to pitch the tent, and then prepared dinner.

They were finishing the meal when Shinsou noticed her staring into space.

"Finish your food," he said.

She stirred.

"I'm not really hungry," she said.

He looked at her.

"How long have you stopped being brainwashed?" he asked.

"Since yesterday," she said, in a low voice. "I slipped and fell when I went for the bath in the spring. It woke me up."

"Highness, you've been wonderful, then," exclaimed Shigeru jovially, "you cooked and packed things and pitched the tent without a word of complaint!"

"Well, why did you keep pretending that you were brainwashed?" asked Shinsou, puzzled.

"I wanted to see how you would treat me," she said, "especially whether you would rape me, at night."

"The thought had occurred to us," said Shigeru, leering at her.

"But you didn't," she said, with a rather odd expression on her face, "You put salve on my blisters, and I burned the food, but you gave me the unburnt portion to eat and took the burnt part for yourselves. And Shinsou went to a lot of trouble to get the horse for me, without once complaining about how inconvenient it was, for him."

"Is there a point to this?" enquired Shinsou.

"You say a lot of nasty things," Hanayo said, "but you don't act nastily. You – you even got up to check on me halfway through the night, and covered me with a blanket."

Shigeru roared with laughter, and slapped Shinsou on the shoulder.

"Brother, did you do that?" he exclaimed, "You sly fox. I didn't know you secretly cared for her!"

Shinsou scowled.

"It was a matter of being practical," he retorted, "After she got all those blisters, I figured it would be even more troublesome if she were to fall sick on us."

Shigeru was still laughing. Hanayo looked quizzically at them.

"Why don't you want to have sex with me?" she asked, "You don't even seem to think about it. Don't you find me good-looking?"

Shinsou stared at her. "Are you saying that you _want_ to be raped?"

"Of course not," she said stiffly, "but I'm used to men finding me attractive. At my adopted parents' house, a lot of men kept coming to court me. They'd praise me and say nice things about me."

Shinsou was leaning back against the trunk of a tree, letting his cold gaze rest on her.

"You've lived in a really one-dimensional world, haven't you?" he said, "Didn't you meet boys when you went to school? I doubt all of them would have pursued you."

"At my adopted home I had a tutor," she said huffily, "I didn't go to school much before I was adopted. I was living in a geisha house."

"That must have been boring," said Shigeru, "with no men there."

"I doubt you would have found it boring," remarked Shinsou, drily.

"Brother, it would have been heaven!" said Shigeru fervently, "Imagine being surrounded by beautiful women all day, especially the kind who fawn over you all the time!"

Shinsou looked at Hanayo.

"If you're not eating any more," he said, "you can go wash up in the stream. We'll clear the dishes, since you did all the work today without complaining."

She didn't move, however.

"Don't you find me attractive, even a bit?" she asked.

"Of course we do!" said Shigeru heartily, "Haven't I been calling you a good-looking wench?"

"He doesn't think so," she said, glancing at Shinsou.

"We're here to track down the sword," said Shinsou coolly, "What any of our party looks like is of no consequence to me."

"I'm not used to being spoken to, like this," she said, sounding miffed.

"Well, you'd better get used to it," said Shinsou, "You've been spoiled and cossetted by your adoptive parents because they were so enthralled to have a daughter with royal blood. But it's unlikely you'll be treated much like a princess by people around you, once you enter the real world. And you'll find that looks count for little. You may be good-looking, but there are thousands of women out there who are better looking."

She gave a small gasp. "You're very insulting!"

"Peace, Highness," said Shigeru, trying to pacify her, "My brother here has this unhealthy tendency to suppress his urges when it comes to women. I've been trying to corrupt him for months, but it isn't working. He only cares for his girlfriend. A hot chick, I must admit."

Hanayo eyed Shinsou.

"You have a girlfriend?" she said, "What's her name?"

"Ayumi," said Shinsou, placidly.

"Is she pretty?" asked Hanayo.

"Very," said Shinsou, with a small smile. He felt that enough time had been wasted on the subject, and began clearing the dishes away.

"Highness, you can have a royal bath in the stream while we clear up here," said Shigeru breezily, "I would love to peek at you, of course, but I shall make a herculean effort and restrain myself from doing so."

Hanayo gathered up her towel and clothes and went off in the direction of the stream, still looking offended.

Shigeru waited until she had disappeared, and then looked at Shinsou and said solemnly, "Brother, I think she likes you."

"What?" said Shinsou, startled, "I don't think I did anything except insult her."

"Brother, you don't know how to read women," said Shigeru, "the more you play hard to get, the more she'll try to go after you."

"I didn't play hard to get," Shinsou pointed out, "I'm just not showing any interest in her. Obviously, that pricks her pride."

"Exactly," agreed Shigeru, "The more you appear not interested, the more she'll want to try to win you. You should fawn over her, the way I do. That'll quench her interest."

God forbid, thought Shinsou.

"I'll do nothing of the sort," he said firmly, "And discussing all this is moot. Any nonsense from her, and I'll brainwash her into behaving. Problem solved."

"Brother, you can't brainwash her all the time," said Shigeru, "It's not always the solution."

"Whatever," said Shinsou, tiring of the subject. They had finished the dishes, and he took the book that the vintage shop owner's assistant had given him out of his bag.

"What's that?" Shigeru asked, with interest.

"A book on Japanese folklore," said Shinsou, "I thought that, what with all this about the sword and kitsune and other things, I had better learn a bit more about it."

"Good idea," said Shigeru approvingly, "Wait till you see Hideko, brother. She's beautiful! The most beautiful woman you'll ever see!"

"I thought that she was a fox," said Shinsou, surprised.

"She can shapeshift into a woman," explained Shigeru, "That's what kitsune do."

Hanayo had come back from her bath. She shot a sidelong glance at Shinsou, but he ignored her. She gave a loud sniff, and stalked off to the tent.

"Brother, maybe we should sleep outside and let her have the tent," said Shigeru, "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned."

"I don't think that's necessary," said Shinsou, "Any nonsense from her, and I'll just brainwash her into behaving."

He picked the book up and brought a flashlight out, since they had put the campfire out. "I'll keep the first watch," he said, "You get some rest."

Shigeru went off to the tent. He got up several hours later, to relieve Shinsou.

Hanayo was awake when Shinsou went into the tent. She shot a sullen glance at him, but he ignored her. Feeling amused by her childishness, he settled down in his sleeping bag, and was asleep in a few minutes.


	6. The Kitsune

**6 THE KITSUNE**

Shinsou was normally a light sleeper, but he had been tired from the journey to procure the kiso horse, and so he only woke up when the intruder was already right beside him.

He reacted by reflex, striking a quick blow at the shadow next to him, so that it gave a muffled cry and flew back against the side of the tent. He swiftly got up and pinned the intruder down, but then realised that it was Hanayo.

Shigeru had heard the noise, and had come over. "What's happening?"

He aimed his flashlight into the interior of the tent, and the beam illuminated Hanayo, whimpering, her eyes wide with fright.

"I thought that someone had come into the tent," said Shinsou, releasing her. He was dismayed that he had hit her. "Did I hurt you? What on earth were you doing?"

"My shoulder hurts," she said, sitting up, and then pushing her sleeve up to examine it.

Her shoulder was bruised, and there was also a red mark where his fist had struck her cheek.

Shigeru applied some of his salve, and then said, "You're lucky you weren't hurt more badly than this. Never sneak up on an intelligence agent when he's sleeping, especially if he's been trained in martial arts. What were you doing?"

"I – I was thirsty, so I thought I'd get some water," she stammered.

"But your sleeping bag is nearer the tent entrance," Shinsou objected, "If you wanted water, why did you go further back into the tent?"

"I ... I got disoriented in the dark," she faltered.

He was looking suspiciously at her. "Are you sure you're telling the truth?"

"Of course I am!" she said quickly, "Why wouldn't I – ?" Her face went blank.

"Brother, why are you brainwashing her?" asked Shigeru, in protest.

"Answer me," said Shinsou, staring hard at her, "What were you trying to do?"

"I couldn't believe that you're weren't interested in having sex with me," Hanayo said, staring blankly into space, "You say nasty things, but you don't mean them. Every other man I've met has been interested in me. I thought that if I got into bed with you, you wouldn't be able to resist me."

Shigeru promptly dissolved into laughter. Shinsou put his hand to the back of his neck, and closed his eyes for a moment.

Why me, he thought.

"Somebody, tell me this isn't real," he said wearily, "I thought she was going to say that she wanted to stab me, after being insulted by me. In fact, I'd infinitely prefer it if she'd said that, instead."

Shigeru continued to shake with laughter.

"Stop that," said Shinsou, glaring at him.

"Brother, what can I say," said Shigeru, still overcome with mirth, "she must find you irresistible."

"Go back to bed," Shinsou ordered Hanayo, "Get into your sleeping bag, and do NOT budge from there till morning! And keep away from me!"

Shigeru was still laughing as the brainwashed Hanayo obediently carried out the instructions.

"Will you stop laughing," said Shinsou, highly irritated, "I might brainwash you as well and make you drown yourself in the stream."

"Brother, I don't see what you're complaining about," said Shigeru, chuckling, "Most men would enjoy it if a beautiful girl tried to get into bed with them."

"Not this girl," said Shinsou with feeling, "If you ask me, there's something seriously wrong with her in her upper storey. The biggest mistake I made was not to have gone to that bedroom earlier and gotten hold of the sword before she sent it off."

"I'll get back to the watch," said Shigeru, still sounding mirthful.

"No need, I'll take over," said Shinsou in a resigned voice, "I doubt I'll sleep a wink after this. Besides, it's almost dawn. You can have her company. I'm not sleeping in this tent again with her."

.

.

When Hanayo got up later that morning, she was no longer in a brainwashed state, and there was still a red mark on her cheek. Shinsou decided not to apologise, in case she took that as encouragement. She knew that she had been brainwashed, because her last memory had been of Shinsou interrogating her, and she realised that he must have gotten the truth out of her. She felt humiliated, and was looking sullen, ignoring him. Shigeru had already prepared the breakfast, but fearing that she would be brainwashed again, she helped with the washing up of her own accord, a sulky expression on her face.

They set off after breakfast. "We should reach Mt Sajikigatake by today," Shigeru said.

Around late morning, Shinsou noticed Shigeru looking up at the sky every time they happened to move out from under the trees. He looked up, as well. Several large birds of prey were high in the sky, circling.

He looked at them every now and then, after that, whenever there was a break in the trees. There were three of them, and they did not disperse, or ever fly off to pursue any prey, but kept circling constantly.

However, when they stopped for lunch, the birds had disappeared.

"Saw you looking at the sky," Shinsou said, as Hanayo sulkily prepared the food.

"Yeah," said Shigeru, "It's hard to say if those birds mean anything, but I keep thinking about seeing Kubo in the village, and that the Gang of Four might have placed eyes in the sky to look for us. I'll be glad when we reach Sajikigatake. We won't have to worry about such things if Hideko agrees to come with us."

Shinsou was nearing the end of the book on Japanese folklore. He finished the last few pages as he ate his lunch, and then handed it to Hanayo.

"What's this?" she asked, scowling.

"The shop assistant at Kyoto Bijutsu wanted to give it to you," replied Shinsou.

Hanayo stared at the book.

"It's one of the books my mother used to read to me when I was little!" she exclaimed. She glared at Shinsou. "I didn't give you permission to read it!"

"I knew you wouldn't," said Shinsou, grinning, "that's why I didn't tell you that I had it."

She looked furious.

"I hate you," she said.

"Now, now," said Shigeru, "Highness, you look beautiful when you're angry, but let's not fight."

Hanayo's face was red with anger, and she opened her mouth to direct more vitriol at Shinsou, but he was looking at her with a dangerous gleam in his eyes, and she thought better of it. She packed the book away in her bag, still fuming.

They set off again after lunch, and by late afternoon they were reaching the base of Sajikigatake.

"We should be there in about an hour," said Shigeru.

"Good, this whole journey is so tedious," said Hanayo in a long-suffering tone, adding spitefully, "and the company makes it more excruciating."

"If you like, you can get down and walk," remarked Shinsou, "you'd be less bored, then. I'd be glad to ride Aki-chan instead." Hanayo had named the mare Aki.

Hanayo glowered at him, but did not reply.

After another ten minutes, however, Shigeru suddenly stopped.

"Listen!" he said, sharply, holding up a hand.

They heard a faint baying in the distance.

"What's that?" asked Hanayo, looking frightened.

The baying could be heard again, and this time it sounded as if there was more than one voice.

"Something might have picked up our trail," said Shigeru, swiftly. He looked at Shinsou. "Brother, you leave your backpack here and get on the mare with Hanayo. Keep heading northwest, fast. You should eventually come to a large pond at the base of the mountain. Look for a shrine to Inari there. If anything's following, I'll try to hold it off."

Aki the mare was looking jumpy.

"Move back a bit," Shinsou said to Hanayo, "Not that I fancy this either, but I'll have to sit in front of you, and you're going to have to hold on to me because this horse is going to run."

"Hold on to you?" exclaimed Hanayo, her face going scarlet, "There's no way I'm going to – " Her face went blank.

Shinsou didn't have time to argue with her. The baying was getting louder. He mounted Aki, and told Hanayo to hold on tight. He dug his heels into the sides of the mare, and she sprang forward.

He directed her northwest, using the sun as a guide. The baying was much louder now. Evening was coming on, and the sun was setting. The forest seemed to be full of shadows. As the pond at the foot of the mountain came into view, a huge dog – one of the Tosa threesome – suddenly came leaping toward them from behind.

The mare whinnied in fright, and began galloping faster in a panic. Hanayo bumped her head against Shinsou's back, and woke up. She looked back and saw the dog, and screamed.

The dog was catching up with the terrified horse. Shinsou urged Aki forward, and taking his whip out, slashed it at the dog. It fell back, snarling.

Hanayo was holding on so tightly to Shinsou that he was finding it difficult to breathe.

"Loosen your hold a bit, will you?" he said.

She didn't seem to hear him. She was burying her face in his back, trembling with fear. "We're going to die, we're going to die," she wept, shaking with fright.

The dog was coming up from behind again. It suddenly leapt at them, its jaws snapping.

Hanayo screamed, and raised both arms to beat it off. She promptly lost her balance, and was about to fall off the horse, but Shinsou reached an arm out and pulled her back.

The dog was still in pursuit. "Where is the sword?" it snarled.

"We don't have it," Hanayo cried, her eyes wide with fright.

Shinsou slashed at the dog with his whip again. It fell back, but now a second dog appeared, running fast. It caught up with the horse, and leapt at it from the side, growling. Shinsou slashed at it with the whip, and the thongs wrapped themselves around it. But the mare skidded and fell, throwing both riders onto the ground.

The other dog came bounding up. Hanayo was having hysterics. Shinsou took a knife out and threw it at the approaching dog, but it glanced off on impact with the dog's head. The dog gave a great leap, its eyes blazing. Shinsou pulled out another knife and pushed Hanayo roughly behind him, but before anything else could happen, something large and red suddenly came lunging out of the trees. It smashed into the dog from the side, and the two went hurtling into the undergrowth.

There was a loud snapping and snarling as the two fought. The newcomer was setting itself savagely onto the dog. The latter finally gave a series of loud yelps, and turned and ran off into the forest, its tail between its legs.

Shinsou was looking at the other dog. He had pulled hard on the whip when the horse fell, and it had become too tightly drawn about the dog's throat, asphyxiating it. It lay dead now, with its eyes staring, foam coming from its mouth.

Tucking his knife away, Shinsou turned to see who their rescuer was. It had been watching the dog as it ran off, but now turned to look at them. It was a she-fox, the largest he had ever seen, as large as a wolf. She had beautiful eyes, leaf-green, and in the rays of the setting sun her dark red coat of fur looked as if it was on fire. A small, glowing sphere of light floated about her, her _hoshi no tama_ , the jewel that held her power as a kitsune.

She was looking at Hanayo, who was gaping at her, open-mouthed. The princess's wig had come off, and her bronze-coloured curls were dishevelled.

"Daughter of Jimmu," said the fox – her voice was rich and low, lower than was woman's wont – "Why are you come into the forest? Who are these canines pursuing you? I sense evil in them. And this one with you, is he one of them? Should I subdue him as well?" She flashed a challenging glance at Shinsou.

"O kitsune-sama, n-no, he is with me," stammered Hanayo, "He was trying to protect me from them."

"So," said the fox, softly. She came toward them, her green eyes glinting, her _hoshi no tama_ following near her tail.

"You are a daughter of Jimmu, are you not?" she said, addressing Hanayo.

"Jimmu?" said Hanayo, blankly.

"The first emperor of Japan," Shinsou prompted her, "She recognises you as royalty."

"I knew that!" Hanayo shot back, annoyed, "Don't talk to me as if I know nothing!"

The fox sat back on her haunches, looking attentively at them.

"I have lived here at the foot of Sajikigatake-yama far longer than you might imagine," she said, "and I have even lived among men, and know their ways. You two are mere cubs to me. Daughter of Jimmu, is it in such a manner that you speak to your protector? I heard nothing in his speech that warranted such fierceness."

Hanayo flushed at the fox's criticism. Shinsou, on the other hand, was wondering what had happened to Shigeru, and whether he should excuse himself and go off in search of Aki the mare, who had struggled to her feet after falling and bolted off into the forest. All of a sudden, a loud and jovial voice from behind said,

"O Hideko-sama, well met! Pay no attention to our waspish princess. My brother here tends to have a detrimental effect on her temper."

They turned around. Shigeru was coming out of the undergrowth, leading Aki by a halter rope. He had placed their backpacks and other belongings on the mare's back.

"Yanigahara-san, is that you?" said the kitsune, surprised. "You appear to be in disguise, but I recognise your voice and your scent. It has been a while since I have seen you. Are these your companions? Why were you not with them?"

"I was held up by another two villains," said Shigeru. He turned to Shinsou. "I managed to chase off Kubo and one of the Tosa boys. Did the other two come after you?"

"They did," said Shinsou, "and we weren't doing too well, but your kitsune friend turned up and saved us." He stepped over to where the dead Tosa was, and began removing his whip.

"You appear to have managed well enough," observed Shigeru, looking at the dead dog, "Perhaps you were a little overenthusiastic."

"This is no time for jokes," said Hanayo tartly, "Are you going to introduce us properly to your kitsune friend, or not?"

"But of course!" said Shigeru, "Hanayo-hime, Shinsou-brother, this is the radiant kitsune I have been telling you about. Among humans, she takes the name of Hideko. Hideko-sama, my companions and I have travelled from afar to seek your help. May I introduce my brother-in-arms, Hitoshi Shinsou, and our princess Hanayo Matsuyama, daughter of Prince Nobuhito, fourth in line to the throne."

The fox shimmered, and in its place stood a remarkably beautiful woman. She was tall, taller than Shigeru, and her skin was very fair. She had long, black hair, falling almost to her feet, in the style of Japanese noblewomen during the Heian era. Only her eyes were the same colour as in her fox-form, a lovely leaf-green. She wore green robes that came in layers, also in the fashion of the Heian period, each layer in a different green, so that the ends of the sleeves came in several contrasting hues.

She bowed to Shinsou and Hanayo, and they bowed back. Hanayo seemed quite overcome.

"She's so beautiful," she said, awed.

"Very," agreed Shinsou, smiling.

Hanayo frowned at him.

"You're purposely being enthusiastic just to annoy me," she said, irritably.

"Don't be silly," said Shinsou coldly, "You seem to have some sort of ego problem. It's just as well you didn't get married – you'd probably have thrown a tantrum every time your husband so much as glanced at another woman, even though you didn't have the slightest bit of interest in him."

"Don't talk to me like that!" she snapped.

"Do the cubs always quarrel in this manner?" enquired Hideko, with interest.

"All the time, Hideko-san," said Shigeru, who was enjoying the exchange, "They've been extremely entertaining company."

"Well, Yanigahara-san," said Hideko, turning to Shigeru, "You said that you had travelled from afar to seek me. Do you wish to explain further?"

"Hideko-sama," said Shigeru, bowing, "The sword Kusanagi no Tsurugi has been stolen by a Chinese gentleman, Hanayo-hime's adoptive father. It is now in Shimonoseki. My brother Shinsou and I have been assigned to retrieve it."

Hideko was listening carefully.

" _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_ has been stolen?" she said, using the older name for the sword; it meant "Sword of the gathering clouds of heaven".

"Yes," said Shigeru, "But we were being pursued by the villains you saw just now, and we thought we could avoid them by trekking through the Chugoku Mountains. We need a guide such as your noble self who can mask our tracks, and lead us through the mountains to Yamaguchi."

Hideko looked at him. Her _hoshi no tama_ had now taken the form of a glowing crystal on a chain around her neck, and she was fingering it thoughtfully.

"I do not forget the favour that I owe you," she said, glancing at the jewel, "and I have seen the villains pursuing you with my own eyes. They are evil. I will come."

"That's wonderful, O Hideko-san," said Shigeru, looking relieved, "If you had not agreed, we would have been in a great difficulty. And our princess here would have burned me at the stake. We would have dragged her through the forest and given her blisters on her feet, and made her do chores like the commonest commoner over the past few days, all for nothing."

"Shigeru, you've been making me look bad in front of Hideko-san from the start," murmured Hanayo, lowering her gaze, "It's not fair."

"And don't say anything," she added warningly, looking at Shinsou, "I know you're going to say that I'm the one who made myself look bad!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth," said Shinsou, mildly. He was relieving Aki of the backpacks, so that Hanayo would be able to mount her.

"Come, Hanayo-hime, be of good cheer," said Hideko, "While you chide him, your protector appears to be preparing a steed for you. Doubtless you must have found yourself unused to travelling through the forests here. I will walk next to you, and you can talk to me, and tell me your part in this adventure. For Yanigahara-san, in his brief fashion, has not explained many details of this quest to me."

"Yes, Hideko-san," said Shigeru, looking apologetic, "It's getting dark, and we'll have to camp somewhere for the night. Would you know – "

"Indeed I know," said Hideko, anticipating him, "Come with me. For there is one more whom we should call upon to aid us in this undertaking, and he should be able to provide you with some lodging for the night."

She saw that Hanayo, looking slightly ashamed, had already mounted Aki. Smiling at Shinsou, she took the halter rope from him, and then turned and, indicating that the two men should follow, led the horse deeper into the forest.


	7. The Tanuki

**7 THE TANUKI**

Hideko led them through the forest for about ten minutes. Shinsou observed that she had now changed her appearance, for her hair had become waist-length and assumed a hairstyle worn during the late Edo period, with the front hair pulled back and tied with a ribbon, while another ribbon secured the long hair at the back. She had discarded her multi-layered robe for a simple dark green one, and her feet were bare.

He could see Hanayo talking animatedly to the kitsune, presumably recounting the entire story of their journey. Hideko would occasionally turn around and smile at the two men behind her, as if she found the tale highly entertaining.

The trees around them were becoming taller and broader in girth, and there was a woodsy, pungent aroma in the air. They had come to a grove of huge camphor trees, their pale bark rough and fissured, the leaves glossy and waxy. Hideko handed Aki's halter rope to Shigeru and reassumed her fox-form. She went up to the largest camphor tree, head lowered, examining its roots. She presently located an opening between them, and went down and in. They followed, and saw that there was a short flight of stairs there.

The stairs led to a small, open space among the roots beneath the tree, illuminated in the light from Hideko's floating _hoshi no tama_. Hideko, looking up among the roots, then located another small flight of steps leading upward to what appeared to be a small trapdoor.

She tapped on the trapdoor. "Chagama-san!" she called.

There was no reply, but Shinsou thought he heard the sound of scurrying feet.

Hideko tapped again. "Chagama-san!"

Finally, she pushed the trapdoor upward. It opened, and she disappeared through it, nodding at the others to follow.

The camphor tree looked as if it was completely hollow, for the room that they entered filled the entire width of the tree. It was some six metres in diameter, and the floor was covered with tatami matting. The ceiling was high enough that Shigeru, who was the tallest of the visitors (Hideko was still in her fox-form) could stand without having to bow his head. It was a cosy and inviting room, and it was obvious where its owner's interests lay, for it consisted entirely of a kitchen-cum-dining room. Shelves lined one section of the wall, neatly packed with herbs, bottles of flavouring and spices. Another section of the wall was covered with a variety of pots, kettles, platters, serving dishes and soup tureens.

There was a fireplace at one end of the room, and next to it was a low table with a half-finished meal on it. A large, round Japanese teakettle sat on another side table.

The room was empty. A spiral staircase led upwards to another floor, and Hideko promptly made her way up, followed by the others. The upper floor had a small bed in one corner, but otherwise the rest of the room was filled with barrels and boxes full of provisions. Onions hung from the ceiling, having been made into long ropes, braided together by their tops. Wreaths of red peppers dangled next to them, strung on threads. Hams and venison hung in paper wrappings.

"Looks like there's no one here," said Shigeru, looking at Hideko.

"Let us go back down," she said, and began descending the stairs.

When they had reached the bottom, the kitsune turned to Shinsou.

"Shinsou-san," she said pleasantly, "Do you see that broom in the corner? And that teakettle on the side table? Please take the broom, and hit the teakettle with it as hard as you can. I sense a malignant spirit existing within it; it may have done away with the occupant of this house."

Shinsou didn't know what to make of this, but he went over and got the broom, and then raised it and brought it smashing down onto the side table. However, the teakettle was no longer there; it had somehow grown legs, and before the broom could make contact with it, it had suddenly stood up, leapt off the table, and retired to a corner.

Hanayo gave a small squeal of delight.

"Oh, _kawaii_!" she exclaimed, clapping her hands.

A head had now also popped out of the teakettle. It had a sad, raccoonlike face, and it was looking at all the people in the room with a rather guilty and fearful expression.

"Chagama-san, good evening," said Hideko, bowing.

There was a small pop! and the teakettle disappeared. A tanuki, or raccoon dog, stood there instead.

"Hideko-sama, it is an honour to host you in my home," he said, bowing in return.

"Minna-san," said Hideko to the others, "May I present Ponta, a tanuki of good family and high repute. Pon-chan, my sincere apologies for intruding upon your noble home. May I present my friends who have come from far away to visit you."

She proceeded to introduce each of the group in turn, with Ponta giving his quaint bobbing bow to each. She left Hanayo to the last, and Ponta seemed quite overcome to discover that there was royalty in his house.

"Welcome, Highness," he said, blushing and bowing continuously, "My humble house is not fit to receive such noble guests."

"Now, Chagama-san," said Hideko, "May I ask why you did not answer the door, and disguised yourself as a teakettle on the table?"

"O Hideko-sama," said Ponta sheepishly, "I know that when you look for me, you are going to set out on some journey. And Ponta is getting too old for such adventures."

"Come, now, Tanu-kun," said Hideko, "You are an infant compared to me. And you know that I would not look for you if the matter were not urgent. _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_ has been stolen, and we have to get it back."

" _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_?" said Ponta, looking fearful, "Stolen?"

"Yes," said Hideko, "It was stolen from Atsuta Shrine, and is now in Shimonoseki. We must get it back. You must come with us, for you can aid us a great deal. We are travelling light through the mountains, and we need someone to take care of provisions for the journey. Come, do not disappoint the princess."

Ponta gazed at the group, his eyes big and doubtful. Shigeru whispered to Hanayo, "Hanayo-hime, he likes you. Try to encourage him."

Hanayo looked at him, startled, but then a naughty twinkle came into her eyes. She turned and, going forward, crouched down in front of the tanuki.

"O noble Ponta, wisest of all tanukis,"she said, clasping her hands and gazing earnestly into his blushing face, "I entreat you to come with us! Our mission will fail without you. It was Inari herself who spoke to us and said that we cannot depart without the brave and talented Ponta. Her blessings will be upon you if you agree to be our esteemed companion!"

Ponta seemed quite overwhelmed by this speech. He gazed at Hanayo, his eyes popping out of his head. She had chosen her words well, for Inari was the deity of rice and abundance, and the tanuki had the horrific vision of his larder being cursed into depletion if he refused to accompany them.

"O Hanayo-hime, most beautiful of the children of Jimmu, how can Ponta refuse? Yes, I will come," he said, blushing as red as a beet.

"Well said, Tanu-kun," said Hideko, approvingly.

"Have the noble guests supped yet?" enquired the tanuki deferentially, "If they are willing to share Ponta's humble victuals, he can provide them with a simple dinner."

"That would be excellent, Tanu-kun," said Hideko, "And if I am not mistaken, do you not have a guest house nearby? – "

"Of course! Of course!" said Ponta, looking flustered. He began running around, clearing the dishes off his dining table, and then wiping the table and pushing it into the centre of the room.

"If it's too much trouble, we could set the tent up instead," said Shigeru, looking at Ponta in concern.

"No, no, no, no trouble at all," said Ponta nervously, scattering cushions around the dining table. "The guest house is just nearby. If the noble guests would be seated, dinner will be served shortly."

"Well, how did I do?" said Hanayo coyly, as she took a seat at the table beside Shinsou.

"Do what?" asked Shinsou, puzzled.

"I persuaded him quite well, didn't I?" she said, preening herself.

"Oh, that," said Shinsou, amused, "Not bad. Perhaps it was a bit overdone."

"It went excellently well," said Shigeru hastily, seeing Hanayo's look of indignation, "You were very eloquent."

"I'd like to see you persuade him, then," said Hanayo waspishly, looking in annoyance at Shinsou.

"Certainly," said Shinsou calmly, "If all else failed, I could have brainwashed him into coming."

"Well, why didn't you, then?" she snapped.

"Children, children, do not fight," remonstrated Hideko, "We have not even commenced on our journey together, and you will frighten Ponta if you keep bickering. His is a rather nervous disposition."

"Maybe we should help him," said Shinsou, looking at Ponta in concern. He was running up and down, his arms and legs a blur, stirring a cauldron of soup over his fire, muttering to himself, laying bowls on his counter, and scattering spices around.

"Oh no, no no, no need," exclaimed Ponta, overhearing him. He poured soup into the bowls, and then brought them over to the dining table. Each bowl was full of udon noodles in steaming hot soup.

"That was amazingly fast," said Shinsou, impressed.

"Please eat, minna-san," said Ponta humbly. He hurried off back to the kitchen counter, and began to wash dishes.

"I will help him," said Hideko, assuming her human form, "for I had already supped, before I met you." She made her way over to Ponta.

"Oh, this is so good!" exclaimed Hanayo, tucking into her noodles, "it's such a change from what we've been eating!"

She saw Shigeru and Shinsou exchanging amused glances, and glared at them. "What?"

"Nothing," said Shinsou, mildly.

"I saw you looking at each other!" said Hanayo.

"Highness, you're too sensitive," said Shigeru with a straight face, "We're sitting opposite each other. We have to look at each other sometimes."

"Why don't you just say that you don't like my cooking?" snapped Hanayo, her eyes flashing.

"Children, do not fight," said Hideko from the basin, her back to them as she washed Ponta's dishes.

Once dinner was over, Ponta led them over to another camphor tree which, he explained, he kept as a guest house for visitors or relatives. It had tatami matting laid out on the floors, and four comfortable futons, two upstairs and two downstairs; and there was even an onsen near the tree. Hanayo immediately took possession of the room upstairs, and went off to have a long, hot soak. Shinsou and Shigeru were discussing whether one of them should keep watch overnight, for Aki the mare was tethered outside, but Hideko said, "I will keep watch. For I require no sleep. You had best have a good rest, for it will be some time before you get to sleep in comfort again."

.

.

The forest was shrouded in fog the following morning. Shigeru went upstairs around 6am to call the princess, but she refused to get out of bed.

"What time is it?" she mumbled, when he tried to rouse her. "What? 6am? Are you mad? I'm not getting up yet … this bed is like heaven after sleeping in the tent. Just another five minutes." She covered her head with her pillow.

"She's not listening to me, brother," said Shigeru, coming back down, "You have a shot at waking her."

Shinsou went up.

"Time to get up," he said firmly, pulling the blanket off Hanayo.

"Stop that!" she squeaked, and then her face went blank.

"Get up and change your clothes and pack your things," ordered Shinsou, "Be ready to come down in ten minutes." He went back down.

.

.

The fog was lifting by the time they left. Ponta was carrying a big sack, and had donned a straw hat. He walked along, humming to himself, occasionally drumming along to his song on his tummy, and taking a swig from a small bottle of sake. Hideko was in her fox-form. She noticed Hanayo staring at Shinsou and Shigeru, and asked her if anything was the matter.

"I'm just seeing what they really look like," she explained, "I've never really seen them without those disguises on."

Hideko had told the group that they might as well dispense with their disguises for the time being, since the Tosa dogs had already recognised them the previous day. She could create what she called a "mantle of invisibility" about them, so that no one could see them, and they would leave no tracks. They could see it vaguely now as they walked, a faint shimmering in the air around them.

She had also told them that she and Ponta could temporarily disguise them, if necessary. For not only could she and Ponta shapeshift, they could also merge with another person and change his appearance. She had demonstrated this for them that morning, merging with first Shigeru and then Shinsou and Hanayo, and changing them to look as they had the previous night, when they'd still had their disguises on.

Shinsou found it an interesting experience merging with her. He found that his mind could touch hers, and in it there was a sense of time reaching back far into the past, making him realise how ancient she really was. He also found that while merged, he could communicate with her by thought quite easily.

"It is easy to talk to Shinsou-san in my head," she said after that, when she had separated herself out again, "He is used to using his mind because of his Quirk. It is harder for Yanigahara-san and Hanayo-hime."

Hanayo responded to this by giving a loud sniff. Shinsou had woken her from her brainwashed state because they had wanted her to try out the merging, and she was still angry at discovering that she had been brainwashed and forced out of bed.

"I must say, this takes some getting used to," admitted Shigeru, "Interesting experience, though."

Ponta had also merged with them. Shinsou found that in this case, there were a lot of thoughts about food in his head.

 _My apologies, Shinsou-san_ , he heard Ponta saying in his head, _I am afraid that Ponta is always hungry_.

Hanayo also commented on this later, when she had mounted Aki, and they had started on their way.

"Merging with Pon-chan makes me hungry," she said, "He's always thinking about eating."

Shigeru laughed raucously.

"That's harmless enough," he said, "He saw what I'm always thinking of. Didn't you, Ponta-kun?"

Ponta blushed red as a beet.

"What's that?" asked Hanayo, staring, and then went red with embarrassment when she realised what he meant.

"Hideko didn't mind, though," said Shigeru, giving the fox a sidelong glance.

"I know all about men," said Hideko primly, "I have lived among men before."

"And probably seduced all of them, too," said Shigeru admiringly, "How I envy them!"

Hanayo looked shocked. "You're such a shameless pervert!"

"I am," agreed Shigeru, quite unabashed, "More so than my brother, here. Have you looked your fill at him yet, princess? I noticed you looking. Don't you think he looks handsomer as his real self, instead of being in disguise? Did you enjoy holding him tightly yesterday, during the chase?"

Shinsou was leading Aki the mare. He turned around, amused, but said nothing. He figured that one of them arguing with Hanayo at a time was enough.

"I wasn't looking!" said Hanayo, blushing and looking agitated, "He's walking in front with the halter rope, so of course I have to look in that direction!"

"Hush, child," said Hideko gently, "You get worked up too easily."

They soon discovered why Hideko had brought Ponta along. He continually had their next meal on his mind, and he kept collecting food along the way. He would stop at a stream, telling them to continue without him, and then somehow catch up with them after having caught three or four fish. Or he would collect berries or mushrooms and stuff them into his sack. He even managed to catch a rabbit.

He was amazingly fast preparing every meal as well. His sack seemed a lot bigger on the inside than it looked from the outside, for he was able to extract a bewildering variety of pots and pans from its depths, as well as bottles of seasoning and spices.

Hanayo couldn't bring herself to watch him skin the rabbit.

"The poor little bunny," she said, when they were ladling the rabbit stew out, later.

"Hana-chan, you do not have to eat it if you do not want to," Hideko pointed out, "You can have the fish and vegetables, instead."

The rabbit stew was delicious, though, and the princess held on to her bowl.

"It would be a waste of Ponta's efforts if I didn't eat it," she said. She saw Shinsou's expression, and glared at him. "What are you smiling at?"

"Nothing," said Shinsou.

"Nothing?" said Hanayo dangerously, "Nothing? That's all you say whenever I ask you anything, now!"

"Well, if I say anything else, you start arguing with me," Shinsou pointed out.

"Well, that's because you're so exasperating!" said Hanayo.

"Brother, I keep telling you to fawn over her, the way I do," said Shigeru, "You shouldn't keep quiet. Girls like falling for the strong and silent type."

"Shut up, Shigeru!" said Hanayo fiercely, going red.

"What ridiculous things you children do argue about," remarked Hideko, "Hanayo-hime, do not get angry with the gentlemen so easily. You should conduct yourself with more dignity, and be more polite, as befits a daughter of Jimmu."

Hanayo flushed, for she respected the kitsune, and wanted Hideko to think well of her.

"They're always picking on me," she said, sulkily.

"You are very young, are you not?" said Hideko, "If you want to win the gentlemen's respect, getting angry at every single little thing is not the way. And spare a thought for Pon-chan. He is a gentle soul, and he will get upset if you are quarrelling all the time."

The exchange did not seem to have upset Ponta, however. He had finished his stew, and gave a satisfied belch. He was already planning what to cook for the next meal.

After lunch, Hanayo invited Ponta to ride on Aki with her. He sat in front of her, and she was happy, cuddling him like a big teddy bear. She had quite a long conversation with him, and when late afternoon was approaching, he dismounted and told Shigeru that he would prepare dinner slightly late, for there was a village nearby and he wanted to buy some _shoku pan_ , or bread, there.

" _Shoku pan_?" said Shigeru, "We don't really need it, do we?"

"O well, it's for variety, don't you know," said Ponta, looking rather guilty, "Ponta can't bake while travelling, and whenever he can, if there's a village nearby, he stops by and purchases whatever he can't make himself, along the way."

"You know, you don't always have to do the cooking, Pon-chan," said Shinsou, "By all means treat yourself to bread tonight, if you want. We can cook dinner."

"It's all right, Ponta should be back soon enough," stammered Ponta, looking slightly flustered.

"Well, have you got money?" asked Shigeru, "We can give you some."

"O, I don't need money," said Ponta, brightening. He picked up some leaves from the forest floor, and lo and behold, they transformed into yen notes in his paw.

Shinsou frowned.

"Is that permanent, or is it going to change back into leaves after a while?" he asked.

"Change back," answered Ponta, looking guilty.

Shigeru laughed uproariously, and then took some notes out of his wallet.

"That's a typical tanuki trick," he said, giving the notes to Ponta, "but we really don't need to deprive the baker of his living. While you're with us, you can use real money. Just ask Shinsou or me whenever you need it."

"Yes, Yanigahara-san," said Ponta, nodding and obediently tucking the money away.

He went off soon after, but came back with the _shoku pan_ in time to cook a late dinner. As they gathered around the fire, Shigeru suddenly noticed something.

"Where did you get those clothes?" he said, to Hanayo.

She had discarded the shirt that she had been wearing, and was now wearing a flowered blouse.

"Ponta bought some clothes for me, just now," she said demurely, "I'm tired of looking ugly and wearing boy's clothes, and we don't need to be in disguise any more."

"Is that why he went to the village?" demanded Shinsou, "He didn't really want _shoku pan_ , did he? You talked him into it!"

"No, no, Shinsou-san, Ponta wanted _shoku pan_ as well," said Ponta, looking worried.

"Well, how did you pay for it?" asked Shinsou, "With those leaves? We only gave you enough money for bread!"

Ponta looked decidedly guilty.

"Brother, this is your fault," said Shigeru, shaking his head, and looking mournfully at Shinsou.

"My fault?" said Shinsou, staring at him, "What on earth are you talking about?"

"If you would show some interest in the princess, she wouldn't keep trying to do things to attract you, like dress up," said Shigeru, grinning.

"Shut up, Shigeru!" said Hanayo, going red.

"Yanigahara-san, please do not keep making suggestive remarks about the two of them," said Hideko reprovingly, "This will not end well."

"It's only for entertainment, Hideko-san," said Shigeru lightheartedly, and then looked at Hanayo. "Highness, you look beautiful even when you dress like a boy. I assure you, there is no need to make any extra attempt to catch my brother's eye."

"Ponta, please don't do this in future," said Shinsou firmly, turning to the tanuki, "If you use those leaves for money, it's like stealing. Don't listen to the princess or let her bully you around again."

"Yes, Shinsou-san," said Ponta humbly, "I am sorry."

"I didn't bully him!" said Hanayo defensively, "He did say that he wanted _shoku pan_!"

"Well, he didn't pay for the clothes properly," said Shinsou sternly, "If you want to do extra shopping, ask me or Shigeru for money first."

"But you wouldn't have agreed if I had asked you!" protested Hanayo, "Why don't you just give me some money, and then I can decide how I want to use it!"

"We don't have money to throw away on unnecessary things," said Shinsou acidly, "and since you're unable to discern what is necessary and what isn't, you're not getting any."

"This wouldn't have happened if you hadn't thrown my jewellery away!" she flashed at him.

"Well, you shouldn't have masqueraded as your lady-in-waiting, then!" retorted Shinsou.

"Stop quarrelling, children!" exclaimed Hideko, "or save it for after dinner! Pon-chan has gone to the trouble to cook all this, and if you continue, no one will have the appetite to eat!"

They started on the food, but none of them was much in the mood for eating any more. Shinsou took his plate and went some distance away to eat, to avoid starting another argument with the princess. Even Ponta seemed to have lost heart, and sat staring mournfully at his plate, because he felt that he had been scolded, and also thought that nobody was eating his food. Hanayo looked at him for a while, and then got up and went over to him, and gave him a hug.

"I'm sorry, Pon-chan," she said.

Two big tears welled up in his eyes.

"There, there," said Hideko, "Yanigahara-san and I are enjoying the food, even if the rest of you are not. We are both going to take second helpings." She looked sternly at Shigeru. "Shigeru-san, please do not keep provoking Shinsou and Hanayo! Can you not see that Shinsou-san does not care for her, but that Hanayo-hime likes him? This is not a game. Do not play around with people's feelings!"

"That's not true, I don't care for him," said Hanayo, flushing, "He's always so horrid to me."

"I shall restrain myself if it bothers you, Hideko-san," said Shigeru solemnly, "But it's all in good fun. Shinsou doesn't mind – he's used to me. And he and Hanayo will quarrel, whether I instigate them to or not. Right, princess?"

"I don't care about him," said Hanayo stubbornly, "stop saying that I do."

Hideko looked gravely at her.

"Hana-chan, why do you do this?" she asked gently, "You should not deceive yourself. Do not hope for what you cannot have. You will only hurt yourself in the end."

Hanayo opened her mouth to reply, but then closed it. She seemed to be thinking, staring at the kitsune, as if deliberating over something.

"Hideko-san, I know she likes him, but it's only a crush," said Shigeru cheerfully, "It comes mostly from her pride, because this is the first time that she's met a man who's not interested in her. It's an experience she has to go through, and it'll do her good. She'll get over it."

Hideko was looking severely at Shigeru, her green eyes glinting in the firelight.

"Yanigahara-san, I am very fond of you, but sometimes you are very unwise," she said sternly, "you should not exacerbate this situation. You had best focus on what is important – getting Kusanagi no Tsurugi back. I shall pick up the pace, tomorrow. The sooner I get all of you through these mountains, the better. The two of them cannot even have a conversation without arguing, and there is no necessity for you to add more fuel to the fire. I tell you, if you continue like this, things will not turn out well for all parties involved, including yourself."


	8. Hyogo

**8 HYOGO**

Hideko guided the company steadily westward over the next few days, eventually leaving Kyoto Prefecture and entering Hyogo. She led them at a good pace, avoiding the large city of Toyooka to the north, and keeping to the mountains.

They occasionally came across other travellers, and when they did, the kitsune's mantle of invisibility hid them from view. Most of the travellers were, of course, human, usually people trekking through the mountains for leisure, or locals travelling from one village to another. On the third day, however, they came across several unusual-looking individuals.

Ever since people had developed Quirks, the definition of what a typical human being looked like had changed, with people now having hair and skin of various colours, or the heads of animals. Even so, the sight of these particular travellers made the company pause. They came up from behind, walking in the same direction as the invisible company. They had red faces with long noses, and wore yellow robes tied with a pom-pommed sash. On their heads they wore small, square-shaped hats.

"Tengu!" said Ponta, and then went pink and covered his mouth, as if he was afraid the tengu might hear.

Hideko paused, and then led them to one side of the path, in order to let the tengu overtake them. There were four of them, and they were tall and grim-faced. They were carrying large baskets full of what looked like provisions.

Shinsou had heard about tengu from folklore, but it was the first time he was seeing them in real life.

"What are they like, actually?" he asked.

"You mean, you don't know?" Hanayo said, scornfully.

Shinsou ignored her. He had discovered that, other than brainwashing, this was the best way to keep peace in the group and not argue with her, and he looked at Hideko for an answer.

"They are not unlike the _yokai_ that are told of in folklore," the kitsune said, looking with a curious expression at the disappearing tengu, "normally found in spirit form, but they can take on solid bodies, like those we just saw, appearing with red faces and long noses. I have seen them appear with the head of a bird too, usually a kite. In such cases, they have wings and can fly. These look hostile, but not only that, I sense something evil within them – not unlike what I felt in those canine villains who were pursuing you, when we first met."

Ponta's eyes were round. "They are carrying _food_ ," he said.

"And it looked delicious," said Hanayo longingly, "Don't you think so, Pon-chan?"

"Yes, princess," said Ponta, nodding obediently. He would probably have agreed with Hanayo if she had said that she was a pelican of the wilderness.

"Maybe we can buy some from them," said Hanayo, "I saw pastries and desserts there! We haven't had those for a long time."

"No, we don't need fancy fare here," said Shinsou firmly, "I'm sure you miss the food you used to have at home, but you can satisfy your cravings after we've returned the sword."

"I _knew_ you'd disagree with me," said Hanayo petulantly, "You always oppose everything I say! I'm sure Shigeru wouldn't mind something sweet for a change." She looked appealingly at Shigeru, the only other person in the group who had possession of money.

"Now, now, Highness," said Shigeru, with a twinkle in his eye, "Who am I to disagree with my brother here? And he has a reason for preventing you from indulging in sweets. Likely he wants you to continue preserving your delectable figure, so that he can continue feasting his eyes on that, instead. Right, brother?"

"No," said Shinsou indifferently, and then looking at Hanayo, said reprovingly, "You're insulting Ponta's cooking. He's already producing extremely good meals for us, a far cry from what we'd been able to produce ourselves, before he joined us."

"Ponta is sorry, Highness," said Ponta, looking mournfully at Hanayo, "He has not been able to produce fare as good as that found in your noble house."

"Oh, I didn't mean that!" said Hanayo, vexed. She looked angrily at Shinsou. "You don't need to twist my words around! I didn't say there was anything wrong with Ponta's food. I just made a simple suggestion of buying some desserts, if they happen to be easily available, that's all!"

"Well, we don't have that much money to spare," said Shinsou unyieldingly, "and even if we did, it probably isn't a good idea to have any doings with those tengu. Hideko has already said that they have a hostile aura."

Hanayo opened her mouth to reply, but Shinsou's expression was becoming dangerous. Rather than end up being brainwashed, she pressed her lips together, and sulked in silence.

Over the next few days, they saw more tengu, travelling in groups of three or four, carrying supplies. Ponta appeared upset by Hanayo's perceived dissatisfaction with his cooking; he doubled his efforts to collect food, disappearing for longer periods of time, and visiting villages whenever they happened to pass anywhere near one. He began producing meals of feastlike proportions, until even Shigeru protested.

"Pon-chan, you shouldn't be so sensitive to what our princess says," he said, "Most of the time she just complains in order to find some excuse to converse with my brother Shinsou. You shouldn't have bought all those desserts from the village, not to mention venison! I'm surprised you managed to stretch the money so far."

"Ponta knows how to bargain, Shigeru-san," said Ponta, looking nervous, "and Ponta did not specially seek out the victuals. If he happens to see them, he buys them."

Shinsou was looking suspiciously at Hanayo, to see whether she had anything to do with the indulgent purchases, but she was maintaining an innocent expression on her face.

The next morning, they were having breakfast when Ponta announced that he had located yet another village nearby, and would drop by to shop and catch up with them after that. Hanayo immediately said that she wanted to accompany him there while he did his shopping.

"I need a change," she said fretfully, "every day is so dull, just sitting on Aki. I want to do some window shopping."

"No, you'd better not go," said Shinsou firmly, breaking his usual silence with her, "You and Ponta don't make a good combination when it comes to shopping. And you're not very aesthetic, are you? We've been passing beautiful scenery … steep cliffs, gorges, and waterfalls. Do you notice what the mountains look like when the sun is setting? These are things people trek miles to see, but you seem totally oblivious to them. All you do is feel bored."

"Oh, be quiet," said Hanayo, stung by his criticism, "You'll always disapprove of me, no matter what. That's partly why I want to go to the village; to get away from you."

"Perhaps we can allow her to go, just this once," said Hideko sympathetically, seeing that Hanayo looked genuinely upset, "But I will go along, to keep an eye on the both of you, and see that you do not linger there too long. We should be back in about an hour. I will merge with you, Hana-chan, to disguise you."

"Oh, there's no need for you to come," said Hanayo hurriedly, "I can wear my boy's disguise. I don't mind."

"No, no, best let Hideko go along," said Shigeru, "So that us men won't worry about anything happening to you. My brother here would be heartbroken if anything happened to you, princess."

The threesome eventually set off. Hideko had allowed Hanayo to wear her boy's disguise, agreeing that perhaps she might like to have some freedom to move around by herself, for a bit. Hideko herself was dressed in a simple dark blue yukata and _geta_ , or wooden sandals. Ponta shapeshifted into his usual disguise when he went shopping – that of a short, portly, rather well-to-do farmer.

Shinsou and Shigeru stayed back to wash and pack up. Shinsou then decided to mend parts of the tent that were getting frayed, while Shigeru went off to practise throwing his shurikens.

After one and a half hours, the three companions had still not returned. Shinsou was becoming concerned, but Shigeru thought that Hanayo and Hideko had probably gotten carried away by the shopping.

"I'm sure even our kitsune, when in human form, isn't immune when it comes to shopping," he said.

"How much decent shopping is there to do in a rural village?" objected Shinsou, "It's not like you'd find the variety there that you'd get in a Tokyo department store!"

"Well, we'll give them another half an hour, and then go look for them," said Shigeru.

However, within ten minutes, they were startled to see Ponta running into the camp, his fur matted and dishevelled, and looking totally distressed.

"Ponta?" said Shinsou sharply, "What's wrong? Where are Hideko and Hanayo?"

"O Shigeru-san, Shinsou-san, help!" he cried, "Disaster has struck! The tengu have kidnapped Hideko-san and Hanayo-hime!"

"What?" said Shigeru, unable to believe his ears.

"What happened?" demanded Shinsou.

Ponta was looking terrified. He was trembling like a jelly.

"Ponta knows he will have to reveal everything," he said, his eyes big and frightened, "Shinsou-san and Shigeru-san are going to be extremely angry, if not enraged, with him."

"What is it?" said Shinsou sternly, "Make sure you tell the truth! Don't forget that I can brainwash you!"

"O Shinsou-san, Ponta knows he did wrong," said Ponta, quivering with fright, "but Hanayo-hime wanted it very much!"

"Wanted what?" said Shigeru, mystified, "Out with it, man! We're already losing time, if we want to get the ladies back!"

"All those desserts and nice food that Ponta has been obtaining," said Ponta, "did not come from the villages. Ponta bought them from the tengu."

"The tengu?" said Shinsou, perplexed, "Why? Why did you buy it from them?"

"Because they stole the food," said Ponta, "so Ponta thought it would be all right to steal it from them."

Shinsou was trying to figure out what the tanuki was talking about. "You stole the food?"

"Ponta used leaves, Shinsou-san," said Ponta, "Ponta changed the leaves into gold, and used that to buy the food. Tengu find it hard to resist gold, and Ponta gave them more gold than the food was worth."

"But why didn't you just use the money that we gave you to buy food from the village?" asked Shigeru.

"Ponta gave the money to Hanayo-hime," explained Ponta.

Shinsou and Shigeru looked at each other.

"I might have guessed it," Shinsou said drily, looking at Ponta again, "this was Hanayo's idea, wasn't it?"

"The princess was sad that she has no money and is always quarrelling with Shinsou-san about it," said Ponta, looking apologetic, "She is used to having a lot of money to spend. Ponta felt really bad seeing how sad she was. Ponta overheard the tengu talking about how they stole the food, and when he told Hanayo-hime, she asked him to give her the money instead and use leaves to buy food from the tengu. She said the tengu deserved to be tricked, since they had stolen from other people."

"I thought I told you not to listen to her!" exclaimed Shinsou, exasperated.

"But she is a princess, Shinsou-san," protested Ponta woefully, "Ponta is obliged to listen to her."

"So what exactly happened, just now?" asked Shigeru.

"Ponta and the two ladies came across some tengu on the way back from the village, Shigeru-san," said Ponta, "Hanayo-hime wanted to try on Hideko-san's _hoshi-no-tama_ , so Hideko-san was not making us invisible at the time, and the tengu saw us from behind before we saw them. They recognised Ponta as the one who has been giving them gold that turns into leaves. They were angry and wanted to teach us a lesson, so they sneaked up on us, and they managed to snatch Hideko-san's _hoshi-no-tama_ away from Hanayo-hime. They were riding horses, and they tied us up and put us on them. But Ponta managed to escape."

"Hideko is powerless without her _hoshi-no-tama_ , isn't she?" said Shinsou, looking at Shigeru.

"Yes," said Shigeru, frowning, "she won't be able to shapeshift or do anything. She'd be like an ordinary woman."

"Do you know where the tengu are bringing the ladies?" Shinsou asked Ponta.

"Yes, Shinsou-san," said Ponta, nodding, "Ponta is sorry he could not free the ladies. But he waited until he overheard the tengu talking about where they were going before escaping. The tengu said they were going to Mt Tsurugamine. After that, Ponta shapeshifted into a small insect and managed to fly away."

"Mt Tsurugamine?" said Shigeru, "Where's that?"

"It is two hours' trek west of here, Shigeru-san," said Ponta, "Ponta knows the way."

Shinsou was already packing the tent and loading the bags onto Aki.

"You had better not get involved in any more of Hanayo's schemes, Ponta," he said severely, "or it will end up in trouble, like this."

"Yes, Shinsou-san," said Ponta penitently, "Ponta is sorry. Very, very sorry."

"It would be faster if we could ride," observed Shigeru, "The tengu who kidnapped the ladies have horses, this time. Ponta, are you able to shapeshift into a horse so that one of us can ride you?"

"Yes, Shigeru-san," said Ponta, nodding earnestly, obviously anxious to make amends. He promptly shapeshifted into another kiso horse. They divided the bags between the two horses, and then Shinsou mounted Aki and Shigeru Ponta, and off they galloped.

They occasionally passed other travellers, who looked surprised to see the riders galloping past. Some of these were trekkers on holiday, but there were also more and more groups of tengu. Some were carrying the usual provisions, but there were also a few who were clad in black robes, and carrying weapons like swords, or naginata.

After about an hour, a tall, conically-shaped mountain came into sight in the distance. Ponta slowed down.

"That should be Mt Tsurugamine, Shigeru-san," he said, "Ponta came past this way once, many years ago."

Shigeru looked at Ponta. "Do you know exactly where in Tsurugamine they were bringing the ladies?"

"No, Shigeru-san," said Ponta apologetically, "The tengu did not mention that."

"Well, let's get nearer the mountain and then see if I can find any tengu to brainwash," said Shinsou, "they might have some dwelling there that we don't know about."

They rode for another half an hour, and with the mountain now looming large in front of them, stopped near a copse of trees some distance from the trail they had been following in order to break for a meal. Shinsou kept watching the trail, hoping for a lone tengu who might be easy to brainwash, but most of them were in groups.

"I suppose I could try brainwashing the whole group," he said, "they don't seem to travel singly, do they?"

Shigeru was looking up at the sky. "Maybe we could try bringing that one down."

Shinsou and Ponta looked up. A single bird of prey was high above them, gliding in circles.

"I'm not sure that's really a bird," said Shigeru thoughtfully, "Look at the shape. I think it might be a tengu, in kite form."

"Ponta," said Shinsou, "the tengu like gold, don't they? Can you make a pile of gold from leaves? Maybe we can lure it down."

Ponta obligingly gathered a large number of leaves and made a pile of gold out in a clearing nearby that gleamed in the afternoon sun.

Sure enough, the bird began descending. As it neared, they saw that it was a tengu with the head of a kite. It had large wings protruding from its back. It landed neatly next to the heap of gold.

Shinsou quickly made his way toward it.

"Pardon me, tengu-sama, but that gold belongs to me," he called.

The tengu looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Who are you to lay claim – ?" and then it fell silent.

Shinsou made the brainwashed tengu sit down with them under the trees.

"Tell us, first of all," he said, "Where do you come from? Why are there so many tengu appearing in large numbers here, and carrying provisions?"

"We have been called by the Demon Emperor," said the tengu, "Japan will be in a vulnerable state in the near future, and the Demon Emperor wants to take over. He has infused his spirit into the tengu to follow him, and take bodily form and prepare for combat."

"Demon Emperor?" said Shinsou, puzzled, "Who is he?"

"He is an _onryo_ ," said the tengu, "who wants to curse Japan. He has been slowly allowing his power to grow. Now that the time is right, he is preparing to strike."

" _Onryo_?" said Shinsou. He looked at Shigeru.

"I don't know about a Demon Emperor," said Shigeru, looking baffled, "But an _onryo_ is a vengeful spirit – a ghost that is capable of causing harm in the world of the living by hurting or killing enemies, or causing natural disasters."

Shinsou turned back to the tengu. "Tell us more about all this. What kind of combat are you preparing for?"

"We don't know what the ensuing war will be like," answered the tengu, "we have only been told to train ourselves. We are using an old ruined castle on a hill near Mt Tsurugamine as our training ground. Now that we have taken on bodies, we need to feed them, and so we need provisions. That is why you see many tengu who have been tasked to obtain food from the surrounding countryside."

"Brother, all this is fascinating," said Shigeru to Shinsou, "but I think we should start finding out where our missing ladies are, before any harm comes to them."

"All right," said Shinsou. Turning to the tengu, he asked, "Do you know about a tanuki that has been buying provisions from your compatriots using fake gold that later turns into leaves?"

Ponta looked guilty.

"Yes," said the tengu, "We've lost quite a number of our provisions to him. The Lord Sojobo heard about it, and ordered that the tanuki and whoever else responsible for this be punished. We managed to locate the tanuki and two of his accomplices this morning. We captured them, but the tanuki escaped."

"Lord Sojobo?" said Shinsou, "Who is he?"

"He is our chief," said the tengu, "appointed by the Demon Emperor to train the tengu for combat."

"Do you know where the kidnapped women are being held?" asked Shinsou.

"Yes, I just came from there," said the tengu, "they are being held at the castle, in the top floor of the _daitenshu_ , that is, the main keep of the castle."

"And do you know where the jewel belonging to one of the women is?" said Shinsou, "it looks like a glowing crystal on a chain."

"Yes, I saw it," answered the tengu, "Lord Sojobo has it. My compatriots who captured the women handed it over to him."

Shinsou exchanged glances with Shigeru and Ponta. They would have to get Hideko's _hoshi-no-tama_ back somehow.

"All right," said Shinsou, turning back to the tengu, "Tell us about the layout of the castle."

The tengu began to talk about the castle, but his description was so convoluted that they didn't understand what he was saying.

"He's not very coherent, is he?" said Shigeru, "I think we had better get him to lead us there, so that we can have a look at it."

Shigeru asked Ponta to shapeshift into a horse big enough to carry two people, and then made the tengu mount in front of him and guide them. They set off, and after about an hour, the ruins of a castle on a hill came into view in front of them. They stopped, astonished at the sight.

Shigeru gave a small whistle.

"I can see why he was getting into a fix describing it," he said, "Those are the largest castle grounds I've ever seen. It's huge, even bigger than Himeji Castle. We'd better plan this carefully. If we have to travel through that entire complex to rescue our ladies and then get them and ourselves out, it's going to take an extremely long time."


	9. Tsurugamine Castle

**9 TSURUGAMINE CASTLE**

"We'll make this our meeting point," Shigeru said, looking at Shinsou and Ponta.

They had found an old, deserted shrine on a small hill not far from the castle. It was built from wood and stone, and Shigeru thought that in the past it might have been part of a larger temple complex which had been destroyed. They tethered Aki to one of the wooden posts, and hid their belongings there.

Because the brainwashed tengu was fairly tall – it must have been more than seven feet in height – Shinsou had earlier asked Ponta to merge him into himself, thinking that the tengu should be able to briefly carry a tanuki on its back. He and Ponta then rode on the tengu's back while it flew over the castle grounds. They were too heavy for the tengu to fly them around for long, and they also preferred a short flight which decreased their chances of being spotted, but in the brief few minutes that they were in the air, Shinsou managed to get a better idea of the castle layout.

The castle complex was located on top of a hill, and in comparison to most castles in Japan, its grounds were vast. It had fallen into ruins, but Shinsou could see that the tengu had been putting in some effort into restoring it. He estimated that the entire complex probably measured some two kilometres in length and breadth, and besides the main keep, it contained almost a hundred other smaller buildings and structures, including three smaller keeps, corridors, gates and turrets. There were also many buildings that looked like warehouses, probably used for storing food in case of a siege.

Much of the castle was designed so that those defending it could effectively ward off attackers coming up from below. There were numerous constructs, which the tengu told Shinsou were called _sama_ , that allowed archers to fire on attackers without exposing themselves. There was also a large number of angled chutes which enabled stones or boiling oil to be poured onto the heads of attackers passing by underneath.

The most obvious defensive element Shinsou noticed was the confusing maze of paths leading from the front gate up to the main keep. They were designed to disorientate an approaching army, and were arranged in a spiral pattern. In some cases, the walkways even turned back on themselves. This labyrinth allowed intruders to be watched and fired on from the main keep during their lengthy approach. Shinsou could see that if he and Shigeru tried to reach the keep using this route, it was going to take a very long time and also increase their chances of being discovered.

The main keep, or _daitenshu_ , where Hideko and Hanayo were being imprisoned, was not in the centre of the complex, but was located near the northern end of the castle compound. It consisted of five storeys; each storey was smaller than the one below, and was separated from the others by tiled eaves and dormer gables. They were flying too high for Shinsou to get a good look at the keep, but the tengu told him that the top floor windows had iron bars.

Shigeru had decided that the best option would be for them to wait until night, and then enter the castle by scaling the steep walls at the northern end where the main keep was. A moat surrounded the castle, and the tengu had filled this, so they would have to swim across. There were also guards stationed outside the castle walls whom they would somehow have to bypass.

Shinsou made the brainwashed tengu fly to the nearest village and buy a hacksaw for them. Shigeru said that since his Quirk allowed him to scale walls easily, he would be the one to climb to the top storey of the keep and use the hacksaw to cut through the iron bars and get the ladies out. Shinsou, in the meantime, would have to merge with Ponta and disguise himself as a tengu, and make his way into the keep to get Hideko's _hoshi-no-tama_ back.

Fortunately, there was no moon that night, so it was quite dark. Shigeru said he would deploy an old ninja trick to distract the guards away from their point of entry: he would start a fire some distance away, near the end of the northern wall of the castle.

"Don't wait for me to come back, brother," he said to Shinsou, "Once you see the guards leave, get across the moat and start scaling the walls. I'll come back and get the ladies out. I'm not sure how long I'll take, so once you get the jewel, if you have time, come back and check on us. I might need help getting our princess across the moat."

He had scarcely left and Shinsou was waiting in the bushes with Ponta, watching the guards, when Shinsou suddenly had an idea.

"Pon-chan," he said, turning to the tanuki, "When you merge with me, can you transform us into an owl? So that we can fly across to the keep? Then there won't be any need for us to swim across that moat!"

"Yes, Shinsou-san," said Ponta, looking rather frightened and excited, "Ponta thinks he can."

"Then let's go, right away," said Shinsou, "See if you can find an open window in the keep to fly into."

Ponta chose to transform into a Japanese scops owl. It was an extraordinary experience taking to the air for the first time, although the amazement Shinsou felt was tempered somewhat by the bird's desire to look for prey. He wondered if Ponta couldn't have chosen a less voracious species to turn into (although he guessed that perhaps half of it might be the tanuki's own hunger pangs). However, the owl did have extremely good night vision, which allowed them to have a clear view of the castle.

They flew around the keep, and managed to find a window on the third floor that was partially open. The owl squeezed cautiously in, and entered what looked like a bedroom. No one was there, and Shinsou guessed that the tengu must be having their evening meal. The kite tengu had told them earlier that dinner was usually held in the lowest floor of the keep.

Shinsou told Ponta to now shapeshift into a tengu, so the tanuki transformed into the same kite tengu that Shinsou had brainwashed that day.

 _Let's go to the top floor first_ , Shinsou said to Ponta in his mind, _there might be guards outside the room where the ladies are. We had better dispose of them so that they don't hear Shigeru sawing at the bars later._

 _Yes, Shinsou-san_ , Ponta said, sounding apprehensive.

They made their way out into the corridor and up the stairs. They met several other tengu along the way, but only one tried to speak to them, and Shinsou promptly brainwashed him and told him to continue on his way.

There was only one guard outside the room on the top floor. Shinsou brainwashed him, and then ordered him to unlock the door.

The room was bare except for a few chairs and a table in a corner with a small candle on it. Hanayo was sitting on one of the chairs. In the dim light her eyes looked red and puffy from crying, and Shinsou guessed that Hideko must have been lecturing her about her behaviour which had resulted in their imprisonment. Hideko was standing next to one of the windows, looking out. They both turned around when Shinsou came in.

 _Pon-chan, unmerge us_ , Shinsou thought to Ponta.

"Shinsou-kun!" exclaimed Hideko, when she recognised them. She came over from the window, "You've come to get us out!"

Hanayo had also risen to her feet, her eyes wide.

"Not just yet," said Shinsou, as Ponta went over to the princess and bowed, and received a hug in return, "Shigeru will be climbing up the wall outside soon and cutting the iron bars. Ponta and I are going to look for your _hoshi-no-tama_."

"Sojobo took it!" said Hideko, sounding extremely displeased, "His neck is too large to wear it, so he has fastened it around his wrist like a bracelet!"

"How have they been treating you?" asked Shinsou, looking around. The room looked dry and clean, if bare.

"Not too badly, so far," said Hideko, her green eyes glinting in the candlelight, "but we've only been here a few hours. I'm not sure what they plan to do with us later."

"Well, we'll be gone, by then," said Shinsou, "When Shigeru comes, tell him not to worry about the guard outside. I've brainwashed him and told him to ignore any sounds coming from within the room."

"But the door's unlocked, now!" cried Hanayo, "Can't we leave?"

"No, if you go out that way, the tengu will see you," said Shinsou, "Shigeru will cut the bars later and get the two of you across the moat."

"Yes, that way is faster," Hideko agreed, "They brought us in from the main entrance, and it was a very long and winding route."

"The moat? But I can't swim in such filthy water!" protested Hanayo, "And how are we going to climb down the walls?"

"Shigeru can probably carry you," said Shinsou. He glanced at Ponta. "Pon-chan, let's go." He looked at the women. "We'll come back later."

The two women watched in fascination as Ponta merged with him and transformed back into the kite tengu.

"I'm locking the door and taking the key, by the way," added Shinsou, "so that no one else can enter in the meantime and harass you. And also, if I leave it unlocked, I don't trust Hanayo not to wander out."

"You horrid creature!" Hanayo began, but Shinsou had already gone out the door, and was locking it.

He and Ponta made their way down the stairs. Shinsou had planned to go to the dining hall and brainwash Lord Sojobo there, but he could now hear a commotion from down below, and he guessed that Shigeru's fire had been detected.

Tengu were running around on the stairs and looking out of the windows. Shinsou glanced out of one window as well, and saw a glow which he knew must be coming from the fire. A crowd of tengu was congregating near the parapet outside the keep, looking down at the flames.

Shinsou stopped one tengu and brainwashed him.

"What's happening?" he asked.

"There's a fire near the moat outside the keep," answered the tengu, "We're going to try to put it out."

"Do you know where Lord Sojobo is?" asked Shinsou.

"Outside near the parapet, looking at the fire," said the tengu.

"Bring me to him," said Shinsou.

Lord Sojobo was easy to spot. He was easily the tallest tengu there, and wore robes of scarlet and black. Shinsou dismissed the brainwashed tengu, and then squeezed his way through the crowd toward the tengu chief.

"Lord Sojobo," he said respectfully, bowing slightly before him.

Sojobo looked even more forbidding close-up.

"What is it?" he said, turning his fierce visage toward Shinsou and scowling, before his face went blank. The _hoshi-no-tama_ was glowing near his wrist.

Shinsou didn't want the other tengu to see him relieving Sojobo of the jewel.

"Please follow me," he said.

He got the tengu chief into a secluded corner, and made him hand over the crystal.

"Return to the parapet and continue observing the fire," Shinsou then ordered him, "See nothing suspicious in the fire. Tell anyone who tries to deduce its cause that it is due to natural causes such as lack of rain. Discourage everyone from going to the top storey of the _tenshu_ to check on the two imprisoned women there."

He hoped that this would delay the tengu from discovering the prisoners' escape. He made his way rapidly back up to the top floor of the keep. The guard was still standing outside, brainwashed. Shinsou unlocked the door and went into the room. The bars of one window had been sawn away, and Hideko was gone. Hanayo was still sitting in a chair, looking disconsolate.

"Hanayo?" said Shinsou, as Ponta unmerged the both of them, "I thought Shigeru would have brought you out first."

"He said you would bring me out," she said sulkily, "He said that Hideko is taller and heavier, and so he should be the one to carry her, because he's bigger than you."

Shinsou looked speculatively at her. Hanayo was quite petite, but even then, it was going to be difficult for him to get her down the wall and across the moat. He suspected that Shigeru was trying to pair the two of them together again; for he felt sure that Hideko, even in human form and without her _hoshi-no-tama_ , was quite capable of both climbing and swimming, and probably could have made it across on her own.

"I'll tell you what we'll do," he said, "Pon-chan, you merge with Hanayo and transform into an owl and fly her out to the shrine. After that, unmerge with her and leave her there, and come back for me."

"Shrine?" said Hanayo, looking at him, startled.

"There's a deserted shrine on a hill just nearby," explained Shinsou, "That's where Shigeru and Hideko are headed, now. We tethered Aki there and designated it as our meeting point."

"Those shrines are really creepy at night," Hanayo protested, looking frightened, "I'll die of fright if I have to stay there alone!"

"It'll only be for a few minutes," said Shinsou, trying to sound persuasive.

"No, no, even five seconds won't do," said Hanayo, almost in tears. She was looking genuinely afraid, "There are ghosts there!"

Shinsou was wondering whether to brainwash her, when Ponta suddenly suggested, "Shinsou-san, Ponta can bring the princess to the ruined wall just nearby, outside the moat. And then he will come back and get you, and then we can go on together to the shrine."

Shinsou sighed.

"Very well," he said, "Get on with it, then, before anyone comes up and checks on us. If you're not back in five minutes, I'll scale down the wall and swim across the moat."

Ponta merged with Hanayo and flew up to the window sill. If owls could have facial expressions, Shinsou thought that this one looked terrified, and he was sure he heard it give a frightened squeak as it launched itself into the air and disappeared into the darkness outside.

The scops owl came back within minutes, and merged with Shinsou. As they soared out the window, he could see the glow of the fire in the distance, and hear the faint commotion of the tengu trying to put it out.

He could see the ruined wall quite clearly with his owl's eyes. He could not see Hanayo, however.

 _Where's the princess?_ he asked Ponta.

 _I do not know, Shinsou-san,_ Ponta's thought came back, sounding rather worried. _Ponta left her right there._

They reached the wall, and unmerged. They looked around, but it was almost pitch dark, and Hanayo was nowhere to be seen. They didn't dare call out her name, in case the tengu heard them.

Shinsou was inwardly cursing.

"We can't leave her alone for even five minutes," he said, exasperated.

"Ponta will go and look for her, Shinsou-san," said Ponta, and vanished into the darkness before Shinsou could say anything.

He was wondering whether to head in the opposite direction to look for her, when he heard a faint cry. He brought his flashlight out, and pointed it downward in the darkness. The ruined wall lay near the edge of a small hillock, and Hanayo was lying at the bottom; she must have moved away from the wall instead of staying put, and fallen over.

He made his way rapidly down. "What happened?" he said, "How did you end up here?"

"I thought I heard someone coming," she stammered, "I thought maybe it was the tengu. So I moved away from the wall, and the next thing I knew, I was falling."

"Are you hurt?" Shinsou asked.

"Not much, I think," she said, sounding shaken, "but my arm hurts."

Shinsou shone the flashlight at it.

"You're bleeding," he said, "Let's have a look at that wound."

After examining it, he said, "It's only a graze. We just need to bind it up to stop the bleeding. Take your shirt off, and rip off the other sleeve."

"What?" said Hanayo, looking at him in horror.

"Take your shirt off," repeated Shinsou impatiently, "We don't have any bandages here, so we'll have to use your other sleeve."

"I can't take my shirt off in front of you!" she said, scandalised.

"It's so dark, I can't see anything, anyway," Shinsou pointed out.

"You'll see when you switch the flashlight on again!" she protested.

"I'll look the other way," said Shinsou, turning his back on her.

"No," she said stubbornly, "I know you'll turn around."

"Stop wasting time!" snapped Shinsou, losing patience, "I won't turn around. And even if I did, it wouldn't matter. I've seen a woman in her underwear before."

"No, no, I can't …" said Hanayo, sounding mortified, "I'd rather just let it bleed. And I'm not going to talk any more. Then you can't brainwash me." She folded her arms and primmed up her lips, her nose in the air. Her right sleeve was becoming brightly stained with blood.

Suppressing the urge to throttle her, Shinsou took off his own shirt, ripped one long sleeve off, and then, illuminating the wound with the flashlight, bound it up.

"What's the matter, now?" he said, glaring at her. She was averting her eyes away from him.

"You … you took your shirt off," she said, her face flaming red.

"I know that," said Shinsou impatiently, pulling his shirt back on, "stop pretending to be a prude. You've been to the _sento_ before, haven't you? It's a public bath, and everyone's naked there. This can't be any worse."

At this moment, Ponta came back.

"Ponta is sorry, princess," he said apologetically, when he found out what had happened, "he should not have left you near the edge of the hill."

"Let's get going," said Shinsou, "Pon-chan, can you – "

He broke off, because there was now a sudden commotion coming from the castle. They looked back at the keep. The room at the top floor, which had only contained a dim candle, was now brightly lit.

"They've discovered that you've escaped," said Shinsou, looking at Hanayo, "We'd had better get out of here fast. Pon-chan, can you shapeshift into a horse large enough to carry the both of us?"

"Shinsou-san, it is dangerous galloping in the dark," said Ponta, sounding apologetic, "I am afraid I will fall, and throw you off."

"Well then, merge with Hanayo into an owl again and fly her to the shrine," said Shinsou, "Stay there with her. I'll make my own way there."

"Ponta has a suggestion, Shinsou-san," said Ponta, "He can create a diversion. He will lead the tengu off with his drumming and will-o'-the-wisps. In the meantime, Shinsou-san can get away with Hanayo-hime to the shrine."

"Will-o'-the-wisps?" said Shinsou. Shouts could now be heard, coming from the castle. Ponta didn't wait for him to agree, but started to move off, drumming loudly on his tummy. Ghostly, glowing lights were appearing above him, dancing around in the darkness.

"Come on," said Shinsou to Hanayo. They started running for the shrine, but the princess kept stumbling and falling in the dark, and so after a while he grasped her hand to steady her. She appeared to be frightened, for her hand was trembling.

She stumbled and fell once more, and after Shinsou had helped her up, they proceeded at a slightly slower pace.

"We'll be there soon," he said to encourage her, because he could still feel her trembling, "it's just up that hill."

"All right," she whispered. She seemed unusually subdued.

As they made their way up the hill, Shinsou turned and looked back. Tengu were streaming out of the castle, holding fiery torches. Ponta's drumming could still be heard in the distance, and his will-o-the-wisps were visible, doing their ghostly dance in the dark.

Shigeru and Hideko appeared to have just reached the shrine when Shinsou and Hanayo arrived. The former two were both soaking wet.

"Brother, you got here fast," said Shigeru approvingly, "and you're not even wet! Trust you to figure out a way to avoid that moat, and almost win the race, as usual."

"Ponta merged us into an owl in turn and flew us," explained Shinsou. He handed the _hoshi-no-tama_ back to a grateful Hideko.

"But what happened to your sleeve, brother?" enquired Shigeru, "that looks a bit asymmetrical, if you're trying to make a fashion statement."

"I tore it off for use as a bandage," said Shinsou. He located his backpack, and began rummaging around for a new shirt.

"Bandage?" said Hideko, looking concerned, "Were you injured, Shinsou-kun?"

"Not me, Hanayo," said Shinsou.

"It's only a graze," said Hanayo hastily. Her face looked flushed in the light that was coming from Hideko's _hoshi-no-tama_.

"Why are you blushing, child?" asked Hideko, taking Shigeru's flashlight and coming over to examine Hanayo's wound.

"I'm not blushing!" said Hanayo, going even redder.

Shigeru's laugh rang out.

"She must have become excited because my brother here stripped in front of her," he said.

"It's not that!" said Hanayo agitatedly, "You always have such perverted thoughts, Shigeru. Shut up!"

"Did you, brother?" enquired Shigeru.

"Yes," said Shinsou shortly. He was still feeling rather annoyed with Hanayo over the sleeve incident.

"I'm not blushing because of that!" said Hanayo angrily, "In fact, I'm not blushing at all!"

"You must have enjoyed being rescued," teased Shigeru, "Was it romantic holding my brother's hand in the dark? Was his hand nice and warm? Did you enjoy feeling him touching you?"

"Yanigahara-san, stop that," said Hideko firmly. "Where is Ponta?"

"The tengu discovered your escape," said Shinsou, "They were coming out in droves from the castle. Ponta led them off with his drumming and will-o'-the-wisps."

"Then we had better be on our way," said Hideko swiftly, "for he will not be able to hold them off for long. I can make us invisible, but if we stay here and there are too many of them, they will collide into us, and we will be discovered."

"What, are we going to travel at night?" protested Hanayo, "but I want to sleep! I'm exhausted! And what about Ponta?"

"Ponta will be able to find us," said Hideko, "It is the way of woodland folk."

"Don't complain," said Shinsou, as he began saddling Aki and Shigeru unearthed his own backpack from its hiding place, "in case you've forgotten, this entire episode was your fault."

"Now, don't you start!" said Hanayo fiercely, "I already cried buckets while in that prison because Hideko-san gave me a talking-to."

"Well, it's true," said Shinsou coldly, "and for your information, Shigeru and I checked your bag and removed all the money that you took from Ponta. I would advise you not to try this sort of trick on us again."

"You checked my bag?" exclaimed Hanayo, her eyes widening in indignation, "How dare you!"

She was interrupted by a sudden, brilliant flash of light in the sky, followed in a while by the deep rumble of thunder.

"What good timing," said Shigeru, "it rains, just as we set off. However, that should hopefully dampen the tengus' enthusiasm for pursuing us."

"What, are we going to travel in the rain?" cried Hanayo, appalled.

"Yes," said Shinsou briefly, handing her a raincoat, "Cheer up. You'll be on Aki. The rest of us will be trudging along in the mud."

She couldn't help crying from tiredness, though, as she put the raincoat on and mounted the mare. Even Shinsou felt rather sorry for her.

They set off. Ponta rejoined them after a while, but the tengu were still persistent in searching for them. All through that wet night, they were trying to avoid groups of determined tengu. Shinsou brainwashed the few who collided into the invisible group, and sent them on their way. Hanayo slumped wearily against Aki's mane after a while, and fell asleep. Shinsou led the horse, while Shigeru walked next to her, and put an arm out to support her whenever she seemed about to slide off.

The tengu eventually gave up when morning came, but the rain did not let up. The rainy season had arrived, and it poured incessantly for the next seven days. The mountains were covered in a mist of rain, and small streams and rivulets turned into rushing torrents. Hanayo fell sick with a cold, causing them to stop for two days while she recovered, but after that they continued on their way, eventually leaving Hyogo Prefecture and moving on to Tottori, and heading steadily westward toward Yamaguchi, where Shimonoseki was.


	10. Mt Daisen

**10 MT DAISEN**

Hideko tried to lift the group's spirits as they travelled through the unrelenting rain.

"Be patient, minna-san," she said, "soon we shall come to Mt Daisen, tallest of the mountains in the Chugoku range. There we can stay for a while with Naomi, a friend of mine, whom I met some years ago during my travels. She has a house near Masumizu Highland, and she is always happy to welcome guests into her home."

Her words were like a good omen, for the clouds finally cleared and the rain stopped when the group reached Naomi's house on the northern face of the great mountain. The house was like a haven for the group, after travelling for days in continuous rain. It was a pleasant dwelling, built in traditional Japanese style, and the rooms had tatami matting and were fitted with shoji doors. The garden was large, and had a spectacular view of the surrounding mountains and the Sea of Japan in the distance.

Naomi-san was a shy, pretty little lady who bowed and greeted them kindly. She was happy to see Hideko, who apologized for the inconvenience of putting them up, and said that they must treat the house like their own home, and wander around the rooms and garden freely, as they liked.

She showed them to bedrooms on the second floor of the house. They would have a kaiseki-style dinner that night, she told them, in the large porch facing the garden where they could enjoy the surrounding scenery, and they were to rest and not worry about anything, even Ponta, for she and her three children would prepare the dinner and serve them.

Every bedroom in the house had its own small onsen, and the travellers were glad to have a long, hot soak and change into dry clothing. Hanayo, especially, was overjoyed at the room she had been given, and spent a long time just relaxing in the hot bath water.

When Shinsou made his way downstairs, he found Hideko and Shigeru already in the living room. Hideko was wearing a pale green yukata sprinkled with wisteria flowers, and her hair was done up in Shimada Mage style, with a topknot fastened by a large comb. She and Shigeru were looking at Naomi's collection of seashells. There were cones, bivalves, moon shells and cowries, in all colours and shapes and sizes.

There was a range of conch shells too, from small to large ones. There was even a huge conch called a _horagai_ , almost a foot long. It was fitted in an openwork basket and had a bamboo mouthpiece, for it could be used as a trumpet, and in fact had been so used in Japan for centuries, in particular by Samurai who used them to signal whether to withdraw or attack in battle.

Shigeru was quite taken by the _horagai_. He brought it out to the porch and tried blowing it, producing several strident blasts which caused Naomi to come running out of the kitchen.

Shigeru looked rather sheepish, and apologized for causing a disturbance, but Naomi was much amused. Hideko had found a smaller _horagai_ , and asked Naomi if she could keep it as a souvenir.

"And I am going to try an experiment, as well," she said, as they gathered on the porch for dinner. She placed the _horagai_ on a side table, and rested her _hoshi-no-tama_ on it. When the others asked her what she was doing, she merely smiled mysteriously and said, "If it works, I will show you."

Ponta had now joined them. He seated himself at the porch table, next to Hideko, and looked around at the others.

"Minna-san, this evening Ponta can only say that he is glad to be alive," he announced, with a contented sigh. "After walking for days in the rain, we have come to paradise. The garden is full of flowers, a gentle breeze is blowing, we see a beautiful sunset and the view of the mountains and the sea! And best of all, a feast is awaiting!" He smacked his lips in anticipation, and the others laughed.

"It is indeed a beautiful evening," agreed Hideko, her leaf-green eyes taking in the view appreciatively.

"But where is our princess?" asked Shigeru, and at this moment, the princess appeared.

She had twisted her hair into a knot at the side of her head, so that the bronze curls came cascading down onto one shoulder, and she had borrowed a really beautiful yukata from Naomi. It was midnight blue, and sprinkled all over with pink blossoms and gold and silver leaves. She looked lovely, and the rest clapped in appreciation when she appeared. She bowed, looking immensely pleased.

"Thank you, everyone," she said, "I must say it's wonderful, having a hot bath after so many cold days in the rain."

"Princess, you flame in our hearts tonight," said Shigeru. He clapped Shinsou on the shoulder. "If there was ever an evening where you might be able to win my brother's heart, it would be this one."

Shinsou had decided not to spoil the evening by arguing with Hanayo, especially when everyone else was in such good spirits. Besides, he figured, she had actually been quite patient in the rain and had not complained as much as she normally did. So he smiled at her and said, "You look good. I like the way you've done your hair up."

She blushed, and Shigeru patted the empty seat next to him.

"Come sit next to me, Highness," he said hospitably, "You and my brother can look your fill at each other if you sit here. Enjoy it while you can. How often do you get a chance to see him smiling and relaxed, considering he normally wears an expression as if butter wouldn't melt in his mouth?"

Hanayo sat down next to Shigeru, her face still pink. She did look rather often at Shinsou that evening, although the latter didn't seem to notice.

Shinsou refilled Shigeru's sake cup, and poured one for Hanayo as well.

"I foresee you getting drunk this evening," he said to Shigeru, "we haven't even started on the food yet, and this is your second bottle."

"Well, you keep refilling my cup," said Shigeru good-humouredly, "We haven't drunk together for a while, have we? Not since that time at the pub."

"We drank a fair bit in Shanghai too," Shinsou reminded him, adding absently, "It seems like a long time ago, now."

"Shanghai?" said Hanayo, wonderingly.

"Haven't you guessed by now, my dear, the two of us are intelligence agents," said Shigeru, downing his sake, "and we've been given the unfortunate task of retrieving the imperial sword, thanks to the renown of my brother here."

"Intelligence agents?" said Hanayo, "Renown?" She drank some of the sake, and her face became pinker.

"You'd better not drink too much, if you're not used to drinking," observed Shinsou, frowning.

"Nonsense, it's good for her," said Shigeru, "she has to learn social drinking." He took the sake bottle, and topped Hanayo's cup up.

"Didn't you know, Hanayo-hime, what Yanigahara-san does for a living?" asked Hideko.

"No," said Hanayo, her face becoming pinker as she sipped the sake, "They refused to tell me when I asked them."

Naomi and her children had started serving the food. Kaiseki-style meals were served in courses, and the food came in lovely bowls and dishes, arranged artistically. Ponta gave a deep sigh of satisfaction.

"It's too pretty to eat," Hanayo agreed, admiring the dishes in front of her, "And there's so much. I know I won't be able to finish it all."

"I am sure Pon-chan will eat whatever you can't," said Hideko, looking with affection at the tanuki, who had already begun attacking his own food with relish.

That was a merry dinner. It was summer and the sun took its time setting over the mountains, so they enjoyed the sunset light over the garden for much of the meal. Shigeru got up and plucked some flowers from the garden and arranged them in Hanayo's hair, poured sake for her, and generally waited on her hand and foot.

"We might as well spoil her a bit and treat her like a princess for this one evening," he said good-humouredly, adding, "Perhaps she might allow me to end the evening off romantically with her later as well, if I shower attention on her now."

"You can keep hoping," said Hanayo primly, although she was enjoying the attention. She took another sip of sake, and gave a small hiccup.

"You'd better not let her drink too much, though," warned Shinsou, "She's getting drunk. I think you're getting drunk, too."

"Of course I am!" said Shigeru, "How often are we going to have a meal like this? Let's all get drunk together! You should, as well." He topped Shinsou's cup up.

Naomi had a couple of shamisens in her living room, and Shigeru obtained her permission to borrow one halfway through the meal. He tried strumming several different tunes, and Ponta accompanied him by drumming the beat on his tummy. Shigeru's playing wasn't very good, but no one minded, and his audience clapped enthusiastically.

"Hana-chan, did you not tell me that your mother taught you how to dance?" said Hideko, "Why don't you dance for us now? Naomi-san!" She called out to Naomi, who was coming out of the kitchen, "you have a fan, don't you? Let us take a break from our meal, and have some entertainment. Shigeru can play the music."

"Oh, but I'm a bit tipsy," said Hanayo. However, she was pleased to be getting so much attention, so she got up and accepted the fan from Naomi. They shifted some of the sofas at the other end of the porch away to clear a space for her, and she told Shigeru what music she wanted him to play. Then she held the fan out, and began to dance.

They clapped when she had finished, and she bowed, pleased.

"It's a geisha dance, isn't it?" said Shinsou.

"Yes," she said, flushing with pleasure to see him applauding, "The geisha attend a school where they learn dancing, and also how to play musical instruments. My mother sent me there."

They resumed their dinner after that. Ponta enthusiastically finished all the food that the others couldn't. When the meal had ended, and despite Naomi's protests, Hideko and Ponta began clearing the dishes away. Shigeru went back to the living room to return the shamisen. Shinsou looked at Hanayo, who was still sitting at the table, across him.

"You look a little tipsy," he said, "Maybe you shouldn't have drunk so much."

"I'm fine," she said, getting rather unsteadily to her feet, "thank you for telling me that I looked nice, this evening."

"Not at all," said Shinsou, amused that it seemed to mean so much to her.

"Did you really mean it?" she asked.

"Of course," he said, "I don't pay people compliments unless I mean them."

He stood up, intending to leave as well, but she stood there, and looked meaningfully at him.

"Well?" she said.

He stared at her. "Well, what?"

"Aren't you at least going to kiss me?" she said, coyly.

He looked at her. "Kiss?" he said, blankly.

Her face went red, and her eyes flashed angrily. He recognised the danger signs.

Shinsou looked around, wondering where the others were, but there was no sound of movement, not even from the kitchen, and the house had suddenly become very quiet. He began to suspect that the others had set him up.

He didn't want to end what had been a pleasant evening for everyone with a tantrum. He thought of brainwashing the princess, but since the rest had set him up, he didn't want to be too much of a spoilsport either, and decided that he might as well humour them a bit. So he went round the table, bent down, and gave Hanayo what he thought was going to be a quick kiss. But she raised her arms, and locked them around his neck.

He almost lost his balance, and he automatically began to push her away, but realised that that would probably end in a tantrum as well. She was pressing her lips against his, so it was going to be difficult to brainwash her.

"Well, if she wants a kiss, I'll give her a kiss," he thought, grimly. So he locked his arms around her as well, and kissed her hard on the mouth.

He could feel her body moving involuntarily against his, and after a while her breathing began to get faster and faster. Eventually she tried pushing him away, but he held on to her. Finally, he realised that her breathing was becoming too hurried, so he released her.

She staggered back a few steps, still breathing hard, and stood looking at him, wide-eyed.

All of a sudden, there was a chorus of applause and whistles coming from the direction of the kitchen. Shinsou turned to look. Naomi and her children were standing there, laughing and clapping. Ponta was drumming his approval on his round tummy, and Shigeru was giving off a series of wolf-whistles. Even Hideko was smiling, although she was shaking her head slightly, as if she didn't know whether to approve or not.

"Good job, brother," Shigeru said, beaming. He came over, and put an arm around Shinsou. "Any longer, and our princess would probably have started hyperventilating. That's as good a kiss as even I could have given!"

Shinsou couldn't help grinning at their foolishness, and because it all seemed so ludicrous. Then he turned and saw Hanayo's face, and his smile vanished.

She was looking furious. Her face was getting redder and redder, and he could almost visualise steam erupting from her ears.

"You … you … I _hate_ you!" she exclaimed, her face scarlet with anger, and then she came forward with her arms raised, to strike him.

He easily blocked her attacks, first one arm, then the other, and finally grasped hold of her wrists, while she struggled.

"What's the matter with you?" he said.

"I hate you!" she screamed, "You were just toying with me! All of you are making fun of me!"

"Stop that!" said Shinsou sharply, holding her as she struggled. "What are you complaining about? You wanted me to kiss you, so I kissed you!"

"Not like that!" she shrieked.

"Well, like what, then?" said Shinsou, impatiently. He let go of her, and she staggered back several steps. "If I had refused to kiss you, you would have thrown a tantrum. But when I kiss you, you throw a tantrum too. What exactly do you want?"

"You were playing with me, you didn't mean it!" She burst into tears, and turned and ran from the porch into the house, over to the stairs and up to her room.

Shinsou looked at Hideko and Ponta. They had moved to one side when Hanayo had run past, and were standing there with startled expressions on their faces.

"What's this?" said Shigeru, bending over and picking something up from the floor.

Hideko shook her head slightly, as if to clear it.

"Perhaps we were foolish," she murmured, "I will go up and see if I can talk to her." She turned, and made her way over to the stairs.

Ponta was looking at Shinsou, his eyes round.

"Ponta doesn't understand women," he said, "He will return to helping Naomi-san wash up. At least he understands the things there." Turning, he disappeared back into the kitchen.

Shinsou turned to see what Shigeru was looking at. It was a small brocade pouch which the princess often wore around her neck, and which he had usually dismissed as some sort of _omamori_. It must have come off when she had struggled during the kiss, and its contents had now spilled onto the floor.

"She wears that sometimes," he now said, "I guess it fell off while she was struggling."

Shigeru had picked up the contents of the pouch, and was now examining them.

"But this is – " he said, and then he broke off. There was a strange expression on his face.

Shinsou came over to look. Shigeru was holding several photos of a woman with a child. It was Hanayo when she was young, he realised, together with her mother.

Shigeru was reading a small scrap of paper. He stared at it for quite a while, and then lowered it and looked at Shinsou.

"What is it?" asked Shinsou, concerned.

"Here," said Shigeru quietly, "Take it."

He handed the pouch and its contents to Shinsou, and then abruptly turned and walked away.

Hideko had come back down. She looked at Shigeru as he went past, but he did not speak to her. A few seconds later, they heard the front door closing.

Hideko turned and looked at Shinsou, and then came over.

"Hana-chan will not open the bedroom door," she said, "I can hear her crying in the room. Are you all right, Shinsou-kun? You look stunned. What has happened with Yanigahara-san?"

"Hanayo dropped this on the floor just now," said Shinsou, showing her the pouch, "Shigeru took one look at the contents, and then just walked off."

He looked down at the scrap of paper in his hand. It read:

.

 _I bathed my snow skin_

 _In pure Tamagawa river._

 _Our quarrel is loosened slowly_

 _and he loosens my hair._

 _I am all uncombed._

 _I will not remember him,_

 _I will not altogether forget him._

 _I will wait for Spring._

 _._

Hideko was reading over his shoulder.

"It is a poem," she said, "What does it mean?"

Shinsou took the photos, and slowly looked through them.

"Hanayo doesn't look much like her mother," he said.

He handed the photos to Hideko.

"No, she doesn't," she agreed.

Shinsou put a hand to the back of his neck, and stared out of the porch into the darkened garden. The sun had set, and the dim silhouettes of the surrounding mountains were still visible. What had happened to that cheerful evening, he wondered. It had vanished, and all that was left was a cloud of unhappiness.

"Shinsou-kun," said Hideko, looking at him in concern, "Please tell me what is wrong."

"I don't know if you knew," said Shinsou, still looking out into the darkness, "but Shigeru has been in love all these years with a girl he met when he was eighteen. He's been looking for her all this time, and he has never been able to forget her."

"And you are saying? – " Hideko prompted.

"He has just found out that she is dead," said Shinsou, "She was Hanayo's mother."

.

.

Shigeru didn't come back to the house that night, but he was there in the morning when they gathered in the dining room for breakfast. He looked as if he hadn't slept at all, and there was a haggard expression on his face. He sat, staring at the food in front of him, but didn't touch it.

Shinsou, Hideko and Ponta looked worriedly at him, but didn't say anything. Hanayo was late coming down for breakfast. She slipped quietly in, taking a seat next to Hideko at the opposite end of the table from Shinsou and Shigeru.

She kept directing sidelong glances at Shinsou, who ignored her and kept on eating with a stony expression on his face. Hideko, noticing the princess's tired face, pushed a plate toward her.

"Have some breakfast, Hana-chan," she said, encouragingly.

Hanayo picked at the food, but after a while, she couldn't bear it.

"How can you just sit there eating, as if nothing has happened?" she suddenly burst out, looking at Shinsou.

Shinsou paused, and looked at her.

"What do you want me to do?" he said, coldly.

"At least, apologise!" she exclaimed.

"Apologise?" said Shinsou, his eyes beginning to look dangerous, "Apologise? What for? I didn't do anything wrong."

"You treated me shamefully, last night!" she said, in a petulant tone.

Shinsou's face began to take on a decidedly menacing expression, and the princess started to look frightened.

"Look," he said acidly, "In the first place, I didn't even want to kiss you. I don't know what the hell you're up to. You know full well that I have a girlfriend, and that I'm not interested in you. And yet you still had the cheek to ask me to do something like that. I did it because I knew that if I didn't, you'd throw a tantrum and spoil the evening for everyone. I wanted to give you a quick kiss to humour you, but you held on like an octopus. So, in the end I gave you what you wanted. And after that, you still threw a tantrum. Now, I don't know what kind of game you're playing, but I have reached my limit putting up with you. I am going to give you fair warning. One more instance of such witless behaviour from you, and I am going to see to it that you're in a permanently brainwashed state all the way from here to Shimonoseki and then to Nagoya. And when all this is over, I can only say that nothing will give me greater pleasure than to wash my hands of a sorry piece of childish imbecility like you!"

"Shinsou-kun, that will do," said Hideko soothingly, "Calm down!"

Hanayo was staring at Shinsou, open-mouthed. Then she stood up, trembling, and pushed her chair back. Holding her head in her hands, she gave a small scream and, bursting into tears, turned and stumbled out of the room. A few seconds later, they heard the front door slam shut.

Ponta's eyes were wide. "O Hideko-san," he muttered worriedly, "What is happening to our group?"

"She shouldn't be running around alone, out there," said Hideko, looking at the others in concern, "Someone had better go after her."

Shinsou put a hand to the back of his neck. How long are we going to have to put up with all this, he wondered.

"Shigeru, you go," he said.

"No, it's you she wants," said Shigeru quietly, "She's run off because she wants you to go after her."

"Well, if I go after her, she'll run away even more," said Shinsou, impatiently.

"She doesn't want me," said Shigeru, in an odd voice, "She wants you."

Shinsou stared at him.

"Dammit, what's the matter with you," he said, disconcerted.

"She's only had eyes for you all along," said Shigeru, staring at the table, "she's never looked at me."

Shinsou glanced at Hideko and Ponta, but they were also staring at Shigeru in bafflement.

"Have you gone mad?" demanded Shinsou, turning back to Shigeru, "Snap out of it, man! What are you talking about? What have you been doing all along? Throwing me together with her at every chance – asking me to ride off with her at Sajikigatake, leaving her alone in the _daitenshu_ so that I would have to get her out, conspiring with the others to make me kiss her last night … not to mention all that verbal teasing!"

"Silly of me, wasn't it," said Shigeru, with a bitter smile, "I have this fantastic knack of always sabotaging myself when it comes to making decisions about love."

"Gentlemen, how long are you going to go on?" exclaimed Hideko suddenly, as if coming to her senses, "In the meantime, Hanayo is getting further and further away! Pon-chan!" She turned to Ponta. "We had better go look for her. I will head south, and you east." She glanced at Shinsou and Shigeru. "When the two of you have finished your discourse, you may ballot for the other two directions." She shimmered into fox-form and made for the front door, with the tanuki close behind her.

Shinsou knew that Hideko was right, so he left Shigeru at the table and left the house as well, heading westward. There was a path leading through a forested area there, and not knowing anywhere better to go, he went down it.

He followed the path for about five minutes, and then saw Hanayo sitting some distance away, on a small bench. She got up when she saw him, however, and turned and ran down the path, away from him.

"Hanayo!" said Shinsou sharply, "Come back! There are still people who are searching for us, and you're not in disguise!"

She continued running, and he guessed that she was refusing to reply because she didn't want him to brainwash her. He began following her down the path, but stopped after a while.

"This is senseless," he thought, "The more I chase her, the more she'll run away. I should go back and get one of the others, who can talk sense into her."

He turned around and began making his way back up the path. He had not gone ten feet, however, when he suddenly heard her scream.

He turned, and ran in the direction of the screams. A little way down, and the forest opened up into a small clearing. Hanayo was standing there, crying, her hands covering her face. In front of her stood Kubo, the cobra-headed man.

Shinsou went forward swiftly, and bringing out his whip, he slashed it at the cobra, winding the snake-man in its thongs.

"If you want the sword Kusanagi, you can get it from me," he said.

Kubo was struggling, but he paused to look at Shinsou.

"You have the sword? – " he hissed, and then he fell silent.

Shinsou removed the whip thongs from the brainwashed Kubo, and glanced at Hanayo. She was still standing with her hands covering her face, having hysterics. He decided not to approach her yet, in case she ran off again.

"How did you find us?" he asked Kubo.

"We lost you, at Mt Sajikigatake," said Kubo, "but we had deployed kite tengu to search for you from the air, and they saw you yesterday, having dinner on the porch of the house."

Shinsou frowned.

"How could we have been so careless," he thought. "We'd become complacent because there had been no sign of them following us for so long. And we were too busy being glad that we were out of the rain."

"Where are the remaining Tosa brothers?" he asked.

"They are nearby," said Kubo, "But even though we have found you now, we did not plan to attack, only follow. I only attacked the girl just now because she started screaming and throwing stones at me. Otherwise, we believe you don't have the sword, or you would have returned it to Atsuta Shrine by now. Matsuyama must have it. You must be journeying to where he is. Once you join up with him, we will move in and take it from you."

Shinsou could still hear Hanayo weeping from behind, but he continued questioning Kubo.

"Tell me," he said, looking at Kubo intently, "What is this evil force which possessed Matsuyama and made him steal the sword? And which sent you to watch over him?"

"It is Lord Sutoku," said Kubo.

Shinsou stared at the cobra.

"Lord Sutoku?" he said, "Who is he? And what did he plan to do with the sword Kusanagi?"

"He is an _onryo_ ," said Kubo, "And it was not only Kusanagi he wanted. He planned to steal the magatama and the mirror as well, but once Kusanagi was stolen, the authorities removed the other two regalia to undisclosed locations for their safekeeping. Matsuyama said he required their exact locations to open the warp gate. However, he fled before Sutoku could track the remaining regalia down. Sutoku has sworn to curse Japan, and when he learned that the current emperor was going to abdicate, he decided to steal the regalia in order to curse the new emperor."

"We saw tengu training for war in Hyogo," said Shinsou, "Do you know anything about that?"

"There should be chaos once the regalia disappear," said Kubo, "the standing of the new emperor will be in doubt. Sutoku has infused his spirit into the tengu. He wants to raise an army and take over Japan – "

There was a sudden whistling noise, and a series of shurikens, hurled with swift and deadly accuracy, suddenly sliced into Kubo's neck. Blood spurted copiously, and the cobra man shuddered and fell. He lay dead on the ground, his eyes staring.

Shinsou was startled. He turned around.

"Shigeru?" he said angrily, "I hadn't finished with him! What – "

He broke off, because Shigeru was coming forward with a mad light in his eyes. He grabbed Shinsou roughly at the collar, and backed him up against a nearby tree.

"You bastard, why didn't you protect her!" he snarled.

Shinsou was taken aback. He had never seen Shigeru so angry before.

"What are you talking about!" he snapped, "I brainwashed the cobra, didn't I?"

He suddenly became aware that Hanayo was still weeping, nearby.

"You fool," said Shigeru in a low, menacing voice. He gave Shinsou a shake. "Why did you leave her alone?"

"What's the _matter_ with you?" demanded Shinsou, wondering if he'd gone mad. "She's all right, isn't she?"

"She's not all right!" Shigeru said, between clenched teeth, "You didn't even check on her, all you could think of was your bloody brainwashing! You idiot, the cobra spat venom into her eyes! She can't see anything! She's blind!"


	11. Shimane

**11 SHIMANE**

The clinic seemed very quiet as they waited to see the specialist. Shinsou sat next to the window, staring unseeingly out at the pine trees outside. He had put his earlier disguise on again, as had Hanayo. She sat silently, between Shinsou and Hideko, dressed as a boy once more. Hideko was wearing a coordinated beige two-piece outfit, and had piled her hair back in a stylish bun. She might have passed off as an executive in the fashion industry.

Four days had passed since Hanayo had been struck blind by the cobra. Shinsou and Hideko had rushed her to the medical clinic in Daisen, the nearest town. Shinsou had brainwashed the medical staff so that Hanayo had not needed to be registered, since they were still on the run. The clinic was unable to do anything for her; they recommended a specialist at Mori hospital in Nanbu town, twenty kilometres away. Shinsou and Hideko had brought her there as well; the specialist ran several tests on her, but was unable to do anything.

Shigeru and Ponta had stayed at Naomi's house in the meantime. Shinsou had to be the one to bring Hanayo to the doctors, because he was the only one able to brainwash the medical staff. Hideko had come along because Hanayo needed someone to help her eat and visit the restroom.

Hanayo had wept throughout the visit to the medical clinic, but by the time they reached Mori hospital, she had sunk into a state of depression. She sat in silence, staring sightlessly in front of her. Everything seemed strange and dreadful. She had to be guided wherever she went, and she needed assistance for every action, such as eating and washing.

Shinsou had asked the brainwashed doctor in Nanbu to recommend the best specialist nearby that he knew for a second opinion. The doctor suggested one who had a healing Quirk at the hospital in Yonago. They now sat in the waiting room, listening for the nurse to call their turn. When they went in, the specialist tried to heal her, but was unable to. He sent her for several tests, but in the end the outcome was the same. His Quirk enhanced the body's ability to recover, he said, but in this case the cornea had already been eroded and scarred, something the body itself could not heal, and he could do nothing for her.

Shinsou asked the doctor who the best eye specialist in the country was. He felt sure that someone in Tokyo would be able to help Hanayo. But the princess herself interrupted him, at this point.

"I don't want to see any more doctors," she said in a low voice, "I want to go back and rest. I want to go to my governess's house in Shimonoseki."

"Hanayo, there are probably doctors in Tokyo who can help you," said Shinsou, trying to persuade her, "There are different types of healing Quirks. Probably some can cause tissue to be rejuvenated or renewed. And even if we can't find anyone with such a Quirk, medical science can do a lot of things nowadays. Maybe even an eye transplant. Your adopted father is rich. There's no obstacle to you having such an operation."

"No," she said in a trembling voice, "I'm tired. I want to go back and rest."

"Let's do what she wants, Shinsou-kun," said Hideko gently, "it has been a tense few days, and if she is to find a doctor with an alternative healing Quirk, or have a transplant in the end, perhaps there is no hurry. We should not force her. Let her get over the shock of what has happened, and agree to it of her own accord. Perhaps we can even settle the matter of the sword first, and then think about this."

So they went back to Masumizu to collect Shigeru and Ponta, and leaving Aki the mare at Naomi's house, continued their way westward toward Shimonoseki. They now stayed at various inns and small hotels, after Shinsou had brainwashed the staff so that their group would not be recognised. They moved around in cars, with Hideko still keeping them invisible, and Shinsou brainwashing various taxi drivers to bring them to their destination.

Shigeru was ignoring Shinsou, blaming him for the princess's blindness. Although he had been unable to accompany them to the hospitals, at the hotels he had insisted on sharing one bedroom with Hanayo while the others took a second room. He helped her do everything, even bathing and answering the call of nature. Hanayo did not protest or seem to care. She hardly said a word, but went through the motions of doing everything like a robot.

Eventually they came to Shimane Prefecture, and found a ryokan just outside the small town of Yoshika. It was called Tamanoyu, and was a clean and quiet place, with a small forested area behind it, as well as a meadow full of flowers. Hanayo tired easily, and they had been breaking their journey more often so that she could rest. They had taken two rooms; one for her and Shigeru, and the other for Shinsou, Hideko and Ponta.

They planned to stay there for a day before travelling on to Shimonoseki the following morning. They had checked in around noon, and had ordered lunch to be brought to their rooms, after which Shigeru had made Hanayo lie down and rest.

Ponta, although he was genuinely sorry for the princess, was his usual untroubled self when it came to food, and had cheerfully helped himself to a satisfying lunch. He now lay asleep in one of the beds, snoring peacefully.

Shinsou had not touched much of the lunch. He had not spoken much since the incident had happened. The week had passed like a blur, thinking what to do next, talking to the doctors, guiding Hanayo in and out of taxis and hospital rooms. She had been keeping silent, but he could see that she was thinking. Shigeru had told Hideko that the princess was tired partly because she had not been sleeping every night; she simply lay in the dark, staring into space.

Shinsou stood at the bedroom window, looking out at the meadow in the distance. Hideko had assumed her fox-form; she settled herself in a chair next to him, her dark red coat making a sharp contrast against the white cushions.

"You've not said much all this week, Shinsou-kun," she said quietly, "you are blaming yourself for what has happened, are you not?"

Shinsou glanced at her, but did not reply. Hands in his pockets, he resumed looking out of the window, a rather grim expression on his young face.

Hideko looked out of the window as well.

"Summer is come," she said, "The flowers are all blooming."

Shinsou did not answer at first.

"Yes," he said at length, "but their beauty would only be good for someone who has the vision to see them." The bitterness in his voice was evident.

Hideko turned to look at him.

"I do not think that you should blame yourself," she said, "no matter what Yanigahara-san says. Hana-chan ran away. She knew the danger as well. She should not have run into the forest."

"She wasn't thinking because she was in an emotional state," said Shinsou, "because of what we – what I did."

"What you did was what she provoked you into doing," said Hideko, "and the way she took it was her own fault."

Shinsou was silent.

"We were supposed to take care of her," he said after a while, "it makes no difference if she was wilful or unreasonable. She was under our care – under my care, at that moment."

"Do not be so quick to judge the situation," said Hideko, "I am older and have lived a far longer life than any of you here. I have seen many events played out. What seems unfortunate now may not be so in the future. Many events happen for a reason. I do not know the reason that this has happened, but it may work out in the end for the greater good. There can be worse things than blindness in the eyes. Blindness of heart, for instance. What good is it if a person has been able to see with his eyes but has never understood anything with his heart for his entire life? It may be that she will recover her vision in the end, but will also become wiser in other things."

Shinsou was looking out of the window, but he was listening.

"Shigeru is in love with her," he said, "you must have noticed."

"It is rather obvious," said Hideko, "If he loves her, then that is good. If she could love him in return, he would care for her for the rest of her life, and not mind it at all."

Shinsou gave a short laugh.

"He is going to care for her for the rest of his life, whether she loves him in return or not," he said, "and I've given him a beloved who can never look into his face and see any of the love that is there."

"Do not be so foolish, Shinsou-kun," said Hideko gently, "There are so many other ways of knowing love. She can hear it in his voice, and feel it in his touch, and know it in his actions."

Shinsou did not reply.

"In truth, she brought this upon herself," said Hideko, "it was her own pride and vanity, because she could not win you over. It was entirely unnecessary, her outburst and decision to run away. Instead of focusing on our quest, and the wellbeing of the entire group, she has insisted on making this entire journey a personal crusade."

"She is wilful because of the way she was brought up," said Shinsou, "and so whether she can be blamed for her behaviour is questionable."

He turned, and looked at the fox.

"I know that you're trying to comfort me, Hideko-san," he said, "Thank you. Everything that you said is probably true. But no matter what is said or done, at the end of the day, it doesn't change the fact that I could have stayed with her, and prevented this from happening."

He paused, and then, frowning, continued.

"I don't know if she will choose to be with Shigeru. If she doesn't, then in truth, I do not know what to do. If all had proceeded as usual, she might have helped us return the sword to Atsuta Shrine, and then go and live with her former governess at Shimonoseki, and choose her own path in life. But she's blind, now. How can we just get the sword from her and then leave her with her governess? Who is going to pay for the extra care that she will need as a blind person? Or could we ever bring her back to her adopted parents' house in Kyoto and just leave her there, blind? Without taking any of the responsibility for it?"

"Shinsou-kun, I know what you are thinking," said Hideko, "you think that the Directorate should pay for her care because you, one of its agents, caused her to become blind during one of your assignments. Or you are thinking of paying for her care yourself, personally. May I remind you that she ventured into this journey of her own free will, and asked that she come with you. It was her fault that the sword was not there in Kyoto when you went to retrieve it. Her encounter with the cobra was also a result of her own actions. There is nothing wrong with her returning to her parents' house. They are wealthy enough to give her excellent care. In life, we reap what we sow. That may sound hard-hearted, but it is true. She has to pay the penalty for her own mistakes."

Shinsou was silent. He turned and looked out of the window again. The sun was shining brightly, and the meadow was gay and colourful with flowers.

"To me, it just seems too harsh a punishment for her to pay," he said at last, "I cannot tell you how much I regret it. If I could change places with her, and take her blindness and give her my own sight in return, I would do it in an instant."

.

.

Ponta continued to sleep peacefully. Hideko ventured out, saying that she wanted to stretch her legs and look around the area. Shinsou went out to the reception to make arrangements for the group's breakfast the following morning.

He was on his way back to his room when the door of the next room opened and Hanayo came out, feeling her way along the wall with her hands. Shigeru was not with her.

"Hanayo?" said Shinsou sharply, "Where are you going? Where is Shigeru?"

She was startled to hear his voice. She reached a hand out, and he took it.

"Shigeru is asleep," she said, "I – I couldn't sleep. I thought I'd go out, for a while."

"You can't go out on your own now, surely you know that," said Shinsou, "Wait here. I'll get Ponta to bring you out."

"Maybe you could bring me, instead," she ventured, her eyes downcast.

Shinsou paused.

"That might not be a good idea," he said.

"My other senses are sharper, now, after becoming blind," said Hanayo, looking down at the floor, "My hearing is better, and the walls of the rooms are thin. I was lying in bed just now, and I – I heard you and Hideko talking next door. I heard everything that you said."

Shinsou stared at her.

"Actually, I came out because I wanted to look for you," she said, "I was wondering whether we could talk, for a while."

"Shigeru will be alarmed when he wakes up and finds you gone," said Shinsou.

"He's not really asleep," confessed Hanayo, "He was, but I woke him and told him not to follow me, and that I was going to look for you."

That's just great, Shinsou thought, as if I need him to be any angrier with me.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked.

"Can we talk elsewhere?" she said.

Shinsou sighed. He took her arm, and gently led her down the corridor to the front reception of the ryokan, and then out to the back porch where there was a sofa, and several comfortable chairs and a table. He settled her on the sofa, and sat down next to her.

She was silent for a few minutes, as if gathering her thoughts. Then she said, "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for all the trouble that I've caused."

"There's no need," said Shinsou.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking," said Hanayo, sounding ashamed, "I've been thinking for days. I've thought about why this happened to me, and then I thought about my whole life and the way I've treated people and whether I ever did anything good. What Hideko said is true. I deserve this. I did nothing but cause trouble to our group. I couldn't see, but I could feel it, how tired and anxious you and Hideko were, waiting at the hospitals and talking to the doctors and thinking about what to do next. I just wanted to apologise."

"I don't think you deserve it," said Shinsou. He got up from the sofa, and then got down on his knees. "I apologise too. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have left you alone." He began to bow, in front of her.

To his consternation, she burst into tears.

"Stop, stop that, how can you kneel and ask for forgiveness?" she sobbed, reaching out and trying to feel where he was, to lift him back up, "Get up. Don't bow. I'm sorry. I'm truly sorry. About everything."

Shinsou got up. He was wondering whether to brainwash her to make her calm down, but she stopped crying after a while, and took a handkerchief out and blew her nose.

"I wanted to tell you, as well," she said, wiping her tears and then keeping the handkerchief away, "not to worry about me. I've already arranged with my governess that I will stay with her. I've transferred half the money in my bank accounts to hers, in case my father froze my accounts. It's a lot of money, enough to last a few lifetimes. I'll be all right with her. I'll help you bring the sword back to Nagoya, and you won't have to worry about anything after that."

Shinsou gave a small sigh.

"Thank you for telling me," he said, "although it doesn't make things any better. And I hope you'll let Shigeru know this as well. He's even more anxious about you than any of us."

"I heard what you said about him, as well," said Hanayo. Her eyes were lowered, as if looking at her hands in her lap.

"He really loved your mother," said Shinsou, "Every spring, he would go to Tama River and look for her. And he searched every geisha house in Kyoto and Tokyo for her."

"I knew that there was someone she once loved," admitted Hanayo, "She told me that poem was a geisha song, but that it meant someone special to her. She never forgot him."

"For her sake, and his as well," said Shinsou, "I hope that you will spare a thought for his feelings."

She did not answer this, but there was an expression of despair on her face.

"Shinsou," she said after a while, "I would like to ask a favour of you."

He was surprised. "What is it?"

"I just feel that after tomorrow, once we get the sword and go to Nagoya, things will never be the same again," she said, her eyes downcast, "and when it's all over, I may never meet you again. So, I hope you'll do this for me."

"If I can," said Shinsou, "of course, I'll do it."

"I know that you have a girlfriend," said Hanayo, "and that you don't care anything about me. But just for an hour, I wish that you would treat me as if you did. Bring me somewhere out of here, and talk to me. So that I'll have something good to remember. So that I can forget, for a while, everything bad that has happened over the past week."

"But Shigeru – " said Shinsou.

She shook her head.

"I'm sure I'll see him again, even after tomorrow," she said, sounding depressed, "but I won't see you again. Please do this for me."

Shinsou looked into the dark blue eyes that could not see him, and – in his mind – could not see because of him, and did not see how he could refuse.

"There's a meadow just nearby," he said quietly to her, "If you like, I'll bring you there, for an hour or so."

She nodded. He looked around. There was a mat lying on a nearby chair, and he picked it up. Carrying it under his arm, he then gently put his other arm about her waist, and she slipped her hand into his. It felt very small. He then carefully guided her out of the porch, down the steps, and into the afternoon sunshine.

The sun was pleasantly warm, and a gentle breeze was blowing. When they reached the meadow, she couldn't see the flowers, but she was still able to smell them, and to feel and touch them. Shinsou looked at her, and it never hit him so much as then, how much loss had come to her. Her name meant "world of flowers", but as she stood among all the colour she could not see it, and if he left her, she would be totally lost and helpless, standing alone under the great open sky with the meadow stretching away around her.

She gathered a bunch of flowers, carefully feeling them with her fingers. There were several trees near the edge of the meadow, and Shinsou spread the mat on the ground there and let her sit in the shade, with the flowers in her lap. There was a small fence just next to them, with honeysuckle growing in profusion on it.

She seemed in better spirits now, as if she had decided to be cheerful, and she looked pleased as he sat down next to her.

"I can smell honeysuckle," she said, smiling, "my mother used to love it. She knew how to make perfume from the flowers, and she told me she had learned the secret of making it long-lasting. Fifty, even a hundred years, and her perfumes would still smell good, she said." She laughed.

Shinsou smiled.

"I can make you a wreath to wear, if you like," he said. She nodded, so he gathered what he needed, and started on it.

"So, did you keep any of your mother's perfumes, to see if they really lasted?" he asked, as he worked.

"No," she said sadly, "she had me adopted out when I was twelve. I think she knew she was dying, by then. She never told me. By the time I found out, she had passed on."

"I'm sorry," said Shinsou.

"I think my adopted parents took me in because of the novelty of having a daughter who had royal blood," said Hanayo, "They were kind enough, but otherwise, I didn't really feel they cared much for me. My adopted father was seldom even in Japan, and my adopted mother liked going out with her friends. I didn't have friends, because I didn't go to school. I had tutors at home instead. Time used to pass so slowly, in that house. Sometimes I would feel as if I was in the palace in the story of Urashima Taro. Have you heard of Urashima Taro?"

"Yes," said Shinsou, "He went to the Hall of the Dragon King under the sea, where time passed slowly. When he came back to dry land, he discovered that a few hundred years had passed while he was gone."

He had finished the honeysuckle wreath, and he placed it on her head. She smiled with pleasure.

"Thank you," she said, bringing a hand up to her head and touching it, "The scent is lovely. I wish I could make it last, and keep it always."

Shinsou looked at her. She was almost like a different person. What a pity she'd had to become blind before showing the more agreeable part of herself, he thought.

He sat down next to her, and hesitated, but then put his arm around her. She looked pleased, and settled close to him, resting her head on his shoulder. The scent of the honeysuckle in her hair was compelling.

"You should visit the palace of the Dragon King," he said lightly, "You would have family there, you know."

"Family?" she said.

"Their blood runs in you," said Shinsou, "Princess Toyotama, daughter of the Dragon King, married Prince Hoori. Their grandson was supposed to be the first emperor of Japan."

She laughed. "It's only a myth," she said.

"I should think so," agreed Shinsou, "but I used to think that the _yokai_ were a myth too. Yet here we are, travelling with two of them."

"It seems unreal, this whole adventure," Hanayo admitted, "So many things have happened, but I remember most of all the dinner we had, on Mt Daisen. I know I spoiled things at the end of the evening, but before that, that dinner … it was wonderful. The view of the mountains and sea was so beautiful. After a tiring journey, we'd all washed up and were rested, and everyone looked so happy. I was happy. We had music, and I danced for you. I think that was one of the happiest moments in my life."

Shinsou was silent. It had been the last evening, before she had become blind.

She turned, and her eyes looked at him, almost as if they could see him.

"I know that after a while I might forget how everyone looks," she said, "if you would let me touch your face, I'd like to memorise it, with my fingers."

She reached a hand out, but he caught it.

"I'm not sure that's a good idea," he said, quietly.

She shook her head slightly, however, and pulled her hand free. Reaching out, she began tracing her fingers lightly over his face.

Shinsou looked at her. Her eyes were on him, quite as if she could see him. Her face was coming closer and closer to his.

He knew what she wanted, and he knew it would hurt her if he were to push her away, so he didn't stop her. When her lips met his, he reached out and gently put his arms around her.

He closed his eyes, trying to imagine how she was experiencing it. He felt her hands moving through his hair, caressing it. He kissed her slowly at first, and then more urgently, so that she could feel it, the wanting. Her body felt warm against his, and her hair and face and lips felt very soft.

The breeze blowing in from the meadow was warm, and carried the smell of newly-mown grass from the field beyond. Above all that, the scent of the honeysuckle in her hair overpowered everything else.

He heard her breath quicken, but he didn't want to be the one to stop, so he continued. He only drew away when he realised that she was crying.

"I'm sorry," he said.

"No, don't be," she sobbed, trying to compose herself, "It's not … I don't regret this … it's just … I was – oh, I was just thinking that … that I had to become _blind_ for you to care anything about me!"

Shinsou looked at her and sighed. He reached out, and gently wiped away her tears.

"You're beautiful," he said quietly, "and you're so young. I can't tell you how hard it is to see you standing in the middle of the meadow, among all the flowers, unable to see. I regret that mistake that I made, leaving you alone just for a few minutes. I wish I could turn back time, and undo the damage. I will always regret it."

She took one of his hands in hers and kissed it, then held it to her cheek.

"Don't regret," she said.

She was silent for a while, and then said slowly, "You know … I've done so much thinking over the past few days. I've lived the last few years boasting about having royal blood, but the truth is, I've never behaved in a manner worthy of it. I've done nothing that has lifted me even slightly above the ordinary. I've not been kind nor treated people graciously, nor have I shown any courage. Instead of helping our group during this journey, I've just been a hindrance. Don't regret. Being blind is forcing me to change. I promise you that the change will be for the better. I swear to you that I'll live a meaningful life because of this, so that you won't regret, but be glad instead, of what happened that day."

He took her face in his hands.

"I will hold you to that promise," he said, seriously.

"I won't let you down," she whispered.

He looked at her.

"I believe you won't," he said.

The sun was getting low in the sky. Shinsou glanced in the direction of the ryokan, and saw Shigeru walking across the meadow.

"Shigeru is coming," he said, turning back to Hanayo, "and the sun is setting. It's time you went back."

She looked like she was going to cry, but restrained herself.

Shigeru had come up to them.

"It's getting late," he said, not looking at Shinsou, "it's time to go back in."

Hanayo got up. She took a step toward Shigeru, but then turned around and, facing Shinsou, reached a hand out.

He stood up, and took her hand in his. Her eyes were large, and her face was full of emotion.

"You know," she said in a quiet, intense voice, "time in my parents' house always passed so slowly, so much so that it seemed like forever. But this afternoon, I would that it had gone even slower. The hour just went so fast. I wish I could have frozen these few moments in time. I would give anything for the hour that we had today, to last, forever."

Her lip trembled, but then she turned around and held a hand out, toward Shigeru. He came forward and put an arm about her waist, and began leading her back to the ryokan.

Shinsou waited until they had gone in, and then bent down and picked the mat up and began making his way back as well. He turned around for one last look, before entering the porch. The sun was setting, and the sky looked as if it was on fire, vivid hues of gold and crimson. She would not have been able to see that either, he thought.

He returned the mat to the porch and then went into the ryokan, his face sober. He had never known that a scene so beautiful would have been able to make him feel so sad.


	12. The Ryugu Palace

**12 THE RYUGU PALACE**

Kazuko Harada, Hanayo's old governess, owned a modest detached house in Shimonoseki by the sea. Shinsou and his companions arrived there after lunch, and Hanayo promptly broke down and cried when the elderly lady came out, and she had to try explaining all that had happened to her.

Ponta and Hideko had both shapeshifted into human form, so as not to alarm Harada-san. The latter was somewhat confused to find so many people descending upon her home, but they quickly informed her that they would not be staying. Shinsou said that they would find accommodation elsewhere; the plan was for Hanayo to get the sword back from her swan first, and then perhaps rest for a day or two before proceeding to Nagoya.

Hanayo retired to a room to have a long talk with Harada-san and explain, as best she could, about her blindness and what her plans were. Shinsou took the opportunity to use the house phone and update his supervisor.

"We're in Shimonoseki now, at the governess's house," he informed Aizawa, once he had gotten through.

"It has taken you quite a while to get there," remarked Aizawa, "Did you get into any trouble along the way? And have you managed to get hold of the sword?"

"We've had a couple of setbacks, but it would take too long to explain now," said Shinsou vaguely, "I'll tell you in detail when we're back. No, we haven't got the sword yet but should get it by this afternoon."

"You're reaching there not a moment too soon," Aizawa informed him, "there's a typhoon headed your way, expected to hit southern Japan in a week or so."

"If we get the sword this afternoon, we'll be gone long before it gets here," said Shinsou, not sounding too concerned.

"Well, try not to get delayed," said Aizawa, "I expected you to reach Shimonoseki long before this. The enthronement is in a month's time; so I hope you realise that this is becoming rather urgent."

"All right," said Shinsou, slightly irritated. He was wondering whether to tell Aizawa what Kubo had said about the _onryo_ Sutoku, but it sounded so far-fetched that he had a feeling Aizawa wouldn't believe him. What would be the best response to the threat of an army of tengu trying to take over Japan, anyway? Gather all the heroes together to form an opposing army? Shinsou decided that he'd better find out more about the entire matter before making it known to the Directorate.

"By the way," he said, "Can you call the priests at Atsuta Shrine and tell them to expect us?"

"Call the priests?" said Aizawa, "Good idea, it'll make it easier for you, rather than you just turning up on the spot and having to explain everything. I'll tell them to expect someone from the Directorate over the next few days."

"All right, thanks – "

Shinsou broke off, because Ponta and Hideko had suddenly come into the room, and he could tell by their faces that something was wrong.

"Shinsou-kun, we thought we had better inform you," said Hideko, sounding slightly out of breath, "Yanigahara-san has interrupted Hanayo-hime's talk with Harada-san, and he has brought her out into the garden to call Mitsuki back."

"Mitsuki?" said Shinsou.

"Hanayo-hime's swan, Shinsou-san," explained Ponta, "her name is Mitsuki."

"Stop them!" said Shinsou urgently, "The Tosa brothers plan to attack us the minute the sword appears! I don't know if they've managed to keep following us or not – "

He dropped the phone without saying goodbye to Aizawa, and dashed out of the house, with Ponta and Hideko close behind him.

"Why didn't he wait for us?" said Shinsou, furious.

"Shigeru-san suddenly got the idea that _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_ might be able to heal Hanayo-hime's blindness," Ponta panted, trying to keep up with Shinsou, "Ponta guesses he was too impatient to wait for the rest of us."

"Shinsou-kun, you did not tell us about the Tosa brothers," said Hideko, rather reprovingly.

"I forgot," said Shinsou ruefully, "I found out from Kubo the day Hanayo went blind … but I became too preoccupied trying to fix things after that …"

A pathway outside Harada-san's house led some distance away to the edge of a sheer cliff overlooking the sea. It was high tide, and the beach below was completely covered by water. Shinsou and the two _yokai_ could see Shigeru and Hanayo standing near the edge of the cliff, and Hanayo had her hands raised and her eyes closed, concentrating on calling her swan back.

"Stop!" shouted Shinsou, "Hanayo, wait!"

But the great swan was already in the air, swooping down from on high toward the couple at the edge of the cliff, holding the bag containing the sword Kusanagi.

From out of nowhere, the two Tosa bodyguards suddenly appeared. One gave an enormous leap into the air, and snatched the bag from the swan in its teeth.

The waters in the sea below began to churn. In seconds, a huge whirlpool had opened up. Shinsou, running as fast as he could, saw Shigeru run up a nearby tree and launch himself into the air at the Tosa, grabbing hold of the dog's legs. Then they were both falling into the sea, into the centre of the vortex down below.

Shinsou didn't stop to think. He dashed over to the edge of the cliff, and jumped off as far as he could, into the same maelstrom.

He braced himself for impact with the water, but there was none. He was falling through air, down into the centre of the whirlpool. The light faded as he fell, and soon there was nothing but darkness.

After what seemed a long time, he felt currents of air moving upward, slowing his fall. More and more strongly the air pushed upward, until it was like a cushion against him, and all of a sudden he hit the ground, and lay there for a few moments, stunned.

He got up. He was in dim surroundings, but his eyes became accustomed to the gloom after a while. He was standing just inside a pair of huge wrought-iron gates. They were gold-plated, twisted ornately into a design of mermaids, seaweed and wavelike designs.

It was a twilight world. Around him seemed to be the ocean, for he could see fish and other sea creatures swimming dimly in the distance. Yet where he stood was dry, and there was air to breathe. There was some boundary separating the place he was from the water, he realised, because he saw two _ningyo_ , or mermaids, swimming smoothly through the sea, but as they came nearer they suddenly seemed to break through some sort of invisible wall and amazingly, as they fell to the ground, Shinsou saw that they had grown legs.

The two ningyo stood some distance away, looking at him in trepidation. Then their gaze wandered from him to something behind him. He turned around to look.

Shigeru and the Tosa were lying on the ground a few metres away. Shinsou took one look at the hound and realised, by its staring eyes, that it was dead. It had released the bag holding the sword, and this now lay about two feet away from it. Shigeru was lying with his eyes closed.

Shinsou hurried over.

"Shigeru?" he said.

Shigeru moved slightly, and opened his eyes.

"Shinsou, don't touch the sword," he said faintly. It seemed to take him some effort to speak, but there was also a hint of urgency in his voice. "It killed the Tosa immediately. I was holding on to the dog, and some of it got into me too."

Shinsou knelt down next to him, concerned.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, "Give me a couple of minutes; I'll go look for someone to give you medical aid."

"No," Shigeru's voice was barely more than a whisper. "Don't go. I don't have much time. Listen to me. I'm sorry. I blamed you for Hanayo's blindness. But it wasn't your fault. I could have gone to look for her, too, but I didn't. I let the rest of you go. I was angry, and I looked for someone to blame. Forgive me."

"There's nothing to forgive," said Shinsou, alarmed. He had never seen Shigeru like this. "I think I had better go look for help right now. I'll be back soon."

"No, don't go," whispered Shigeru, "There's no need. I'm dying, Shinsou. You'll have to find a way to bring the sword back on your own. I'm sorry. I won't be able to finish the assignment – "

"Shigeru, no – " Shinsou reached out and grasped his friend's hand. It felt as cold as ice.

"Look after Hanayo," Shigeru whispered, "Tell her I – " But then he fell silent. His eyes closed, and he did not speak again.

"Shigeru?" Shinsou felt as if something cold had crept into his heart and twisted it. He heard someone behind him. Glancing back, he saw Hanayo standing there, with Hideko and Ponta behind her. They had managed to come down the whirlpool as well.

"What's happening?" Hanayo said, holding a hand out as if to feel if anyone was there. "Shigeru? Where are we? Mitsuki said the Tosa and you took the sword …"

Shinsou reached out and took her hand, and she gasped. "Shinsou?"

"Oh, Hana-chan," said Hideko softly, from behind, "I am sorry, child, but Shigeru touched the sword, and it killed him. He is dead."

"What?" A look of anguish came into her face.

"He's here," Shinsou said gently, "On the ground, Hanayo."

She crouched down, and her hands reached out until they felt the still face and body.

"Shigeru? Oh no, no," she sobbed, and then she sat next to the still form, holding his hands in hers, silently grieving.

Ponta had tears running down his cheeks. Hideko was staring at Hanayo and Shigeru, her face sad.

"She should have come sooner," Shinsou said quietly, "He would have wanted to talk to her before he went."

"Shinsou-kun," said Hideko, looking around, "where are we?"

"I don't know," said Shinsou, glancing at the two ningyo, who were still standing some distance away, cautiously watching them. "I could ask those two mermaids over there – "

He was cut short by a stentorian voice suddenly calling out sternly from behind them.

"Strangers, declare your business here! Who are you who trespass in the grounds of the Ryugu-jo?"

Shinsou and Hideko both jumped. Turning around, they saw a tall man with a sea turtle's head, wearing an elaborate helmet with a white plume of what looked like feathers. He was accompanied by ten other similar soldiers, all uniformed, each carrying a long naginata.

They came forward and grimly surrounded the company, their naginata pointing threateningly at them.

"We came from above the sea," said Shinsou to the helmeted sea turtle, "we were brought down by a whirlpool which led us to this place."

"You come from the dry land above?" said the sea turtle, and then his face went blank.

"Who are you?" asked Shinsou.

"I am Reo no Shimano," answered the sea turtle, "Captain of the Guard."

"Tell your soldiers to leave us alone," ordered Shinsou.

Reo no Shimano barked a command at the other sea turtles. They looked rather confused, but lowered their naginata and retreated a few steps back.

"What is this place, and who is in charge here?" Shinsou asked the Captain.

"You stand at the gates of the Ryugu Palace, the abode of the Dragon King Ryujin, and his daughter the Princess Toyotama," said Reo no Shimano.

Shinsou stared at him for a few moments, trying to digest this information.

"I know I'm in some sort of dream," he thought, "Shigeru isn't dead. I'll wake up and find out everything's normal. Shigeru will be alive, Hanayo will have her sight and we'll be arguing as usual, and there's no such thing as a Ryugu Palace."

"Shinsou-kun," said Hideko, breaking in on his thoughts, "It has been said that Ryujin or Toyotama herself possessed magical powers. If you could intercede for us, they might be able to revive Yanigahara-san."

"Revive?" said Shinsou. He glanced at the place where Shigeru was lying. Hanayo was still sitting there, in silent grief.

If this is a dream, I don't seem to be waking up yet, he said to himself.

"Hideko-san," he said to the kitsune, "I really think that bringing someone back to life would be beyond the power of even Ryujin. If he could do that, everyone living under the sea here would be immortal."

"We must try, Shinsou-kun," urged Hideko, "There is no harm asking them."

Shinsou turned back to the sea turtle.

"We have a member of our company who has died," he said, "Do King Ryujin or his daughter have the power to bring people back to life?"

"They have the power to do many things," said Reo no Shimano, "but I have not heard of them returning someone back from the far reaches of the netherworld."

"Lead us to them, so that we may ask them," ordered Shinsou.

"King Ryujin is not at home at this time," said Reo no Shimano, "Only Princess Toyotama is in residence."

"Well, bring us to her, then," said Shinsou, "And we also have another member of our company who is blind. Arrange for some form of conveyance for her, and for our dead companion as well."

Reo no Shimano barked out a few orders, and in a short while more sea turtles appeared and transferred Shigeru to a bier which they carried on their shoulders. Hanayo didn't want to leave Shigeru, but Hideko told her that they had come to the home of her ancestors, and hoped that they could revive Shigeru. She led the princess to the bag holding the sword Kusanagi, and instructed her to carry it. Some sea turtles had appeared with a litter called a _kago_ , consisting of a basketlike structure supported by bamboo poles. Hanayo was invited to sit in it, and she was carried by a team of four bearers.

They made a small procession walking up the broad avenue leading through the grounds of the Palace, with Shinsou, Hideko and Ponta in front with the Captain of the Guard, followed by Hanayo and her bearers, and lastly the bier carrying Shigeru.

The Palace could be seen in the distance. It was built on the steep slopes of an undersea mountain, and so although it consisted of single-storey buildings, it looked tall as successive buildings were built at higher and higher points on the mountain. They were walking in a twilight world, but the grounds and the palace were lit up with some sort of phosphorescence. As they walked further in, they found that they were near a cliff at the edge of the mountain, and as it fell away to their left, an undersea city could be seen below, also lit up, stretching away over the sea bed to the furthest horizon.

Hideko was looking around, her _hoshi-no-tama_ illuminating her face in the dimness.

"It is enchanting, this underwater world," she said appreciatively, "Although it must be eternally twilight here, the lights are as beautiful as any great city up above when it is lit up at night."

Reo no Shimano was still in his brainwashed state. Seen up close, the plume in his helmet was not made of feathers but feather stars, and since these normally needed the sea water to support them, they had a rather deflated appearance.

"How is it that there is air to breathe here, under the sea?" Shinsou asked him, voicing a question that the others had also been wondering.

"We have been asked this question whenever any visitor from the dry land comes here," said Reo no Shimano, "It has been like this for over two thousand years, ever since Toyotama-hime married Hoori no Mikoto. Hoori came from the land above the sea, but dwelt here for a while after their marriage. Ryujin modified the Palace to mimic those of the lands above. Toyotama-hime eventually broke her union with Hoori, but she has never been able to forget him. Knowing that her descendants still roam the lands above, she asked her father to keep the Palace in this condition, in case any of them ever made it down again."

The palace was still some distance away, and Shinsou was wondering how long it was going to take to reach it, when another procession appeared in the distance, coming toward them.

"Who are those people?" he asked the Captain of the Guard.

"It is Princess Toyotama and her entourage," answered the sea turtle.

Princess Toyotama was reclining in a _norimono_ , which was a considerably more elaborate litter than the _kago_ that Hanayo was in. However, when she spied her Captain of the Guard and his companions in the distance, she ordered that the palanquin be set on the ground, and stepped out and hastened toward them. She was a diminutive little lady, slightly shorter than Hanayo, and was dressed in a gown of deep blue-green brocade, not unlike the colour of the ocean, with a gold scallop trim. She came across as affectionate, emotional, and impulsive.

"Where is _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_?" she cried, "I heard it call through the depths to me as it fell for the second time into the Strait of Shimonoseki, and I opened up my whirlpool to receive it! Many are the years that have passed since this blade descended into the precincts of our kingdom, during that fateful battle of Dannoura when my kinsman Antoku perished beneath the waves!"

Reo no Shimano was still in a brainwashed state, so he did not respond to Toyotama. Hideko, looking rather apologetic, stepped forward to explain. She towered over Toyotama, who must have been more than a foot shorter than her.

"Our deepest apologies, Toyotama-hime," she said, bowing low, "but we brainwashed your Captain of the Guard, because his soldiers were threatening us with their naginata and we feared for our lives. Shinsou-kun," she glanced at Shinsou, "perhaps we should awaken the Captain."

Shinsou woke Reo no Shimano from his trance. He looked around at everyone, much confused.

"Reo no Shimano!" exclaimed Toyotama, "These people are surely from the blessed land above that sired my beloved husband, Hoori! Did I not give specific instructions that none such are to be harmed, but brought to me without delay?"

"My apologies, your Highness – " began Reo no Shimano, looking taken aback, but Shinsou interrupted.

"It is my fault, Highness," he said, "I brainwashed him before we could tell him who we were."

"But this is wonderful, indeed!" said Toyotama, "Although there are many others living with me in the Ryugu-jo, I have been lonely ever since I separated from Hoori, and it comforts me much whenever visitors arrive from above the sea! Will you not introduce yourselves?"

Hideko proceeded to introduce each of the group. When it came to Hanayo's turn, Toyotama was so happy that she cried.

"It is a joyful day indeed when my kinswoman comes to visit me!" she exclaimed, embracing Hanayo. "My daughter, it grieves me much to see the affliction that besets your eyes! Stay with me a while, and I will bring you to whatever healers we have in this city. And is that _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_ that you bear?"

"It is, Highness," said Hideko, seeing that Hanayo was still in shock over Shigeru's death and too overcome by Toyotama's welcome to reply. "Toyotama-hime, one of our company touched it by accident, and it smote his life from him. You can see him lying on yonder bier. His name is Yanigahara. We sought you, knowing that you possess great power, to see if you could not undo this. For he was a good man, and he touched it because he was trying to rescue it from one who was evil."

Hanayo gave a small sob when she heard this.

Toyotama's cheerful face dimmed. She glanced at Hanayo, and then looked around at the others.

"I cannot grant life," she said sadly, "it is beyond my power, and also beyond the power of my father Ryujin. I can only do one thing, and this must be in union with the power of the sword Kusanagi; that is to transfer life from one person to another. If you want your friend to live again, one of you must be willing to give your life up in exchange."

Shinsou glanced at the others. They were looking startled, especially Ponta. Hanayo was looking confused, as if she didn't understand what Toyotama was saying. He stepped forward.

"I'll do it," he said.

Toyotama looked seriously at him.

"But know first, Shinsou-san," she said, "My power does not extend beyond the reach of this kingdom. If your friend is restored to life, he will have to stay here. For the minute he steps back up onto dry land again, he will once more lose his life. Consider carefully, then, before you make this sacrifice."

Hanayo seemed to be trying to grasp what was happening.

"Shinsou, what are you doing?" she asked, "You're going to …"

Shinsou glanced at Shigeru, and then at Hideko and Ponta. The latter two were looking at him with growing alarm on their faces.

He turned to Toyotama.

"It's all right," he said quietly, "I'll do it."

She nodded slowly, looking soberly at Shinsou, and then turned to Hanayo.

"Hanayo-hime, you will have to aid us, then," she said, "for the right of the imperial line to Kusanagi comes from my husband Hoori's side, not mine. Therefore, although I can speak to the heavenly blade, I prefer not to handle it. Help us place _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_ upon the body of your companion Yanigahara-san. Shinsou-san will have to place one hand in mine and the other on the sword, in order to transmit his life over."

Hanayo suddenly understood what was going on. Her eyes widened in horror.

"Shinsou?" she said, "What are you doing? Are you _mad_?! No! I don't agree to this! I won't help! Don't do this! No, no, I won't let you do it …" She started to cry hysterically.

"Hanayo," said Shinsou urgently, "It's for Shigeru! You want him back, don't you?"

"Not at the expense of you," she sobbed, and then her face went blank.

But Hideko had now come forward, a resolute expression on her face.

"Shinsou-kun, listen to me," she said firmly, "Consider carefully what you are doing! If you are gone, who will fulfil the quest to return the sword? For Yanigahara-san will not be able to set one foot back on dry land! Will both the Directorate's agents fail in their mission?"

Shinsou looked at her and Ponta. The tanuki was staring at him with a stricken look on his face. Hideko was a kitsune and would not weep, but there was something close to anguish in her eyes.

"Hideko-san, you're right," he said quietly, "We've failed in our responsibilities, Shigeru and I. But I know that if I don't do this, I'll regret it forever. Shigeru … he shouldn't have died. And he died with so many regrets … I can't walk away if there's a chance I can make it right for him. I have to do this. Bring the sword back for us then, I beg you. You and Hanayo and Ponta. Finish what we couldn't do. I know you can do it. Do it, for Shigeru and me! For us, and for Japan!"

Ponta looked like he was going to cry. Hideko looked deeply grieved and upset.

"I cannot tell you how much this saddens me," she said, "I cannot condone what you are doing. When Hanayo wakes up, it will almost kill her to know what you made her do! Of course you know that we will do it for you. You know that we cannot refuse you! But it will be a task carried out with much bitterness."

Shinsou didn't want to continue speaking with her, in case she tried to dissuade him further. He turned and said to the brainwashed Hanayo, "Bring Kusanagi over to the bier."

He walked over with the princess, and she then took the sword Kusanagi from its wrapping, so that they beheld it for the first time.

It was about two feet long, and its slender blade had a leaflike appearance. It was fashioned in a white metallic colour, and the middle of the sword had a thickness from the grip of about seven inches with a design like a fish spine.

Shinsou tried not to think about the fact that he was giving instructions for his own demise to be carried out.

"Place the sword on Shigeru," he said, inexorably.

Hanayo placed Kusanagi on Shigeru's chest.

Toyotama looked gravely at Shinsou.

"Shinsou-san, are you sure you want to do this?" she asked.

Shinsou made sure he didn't look at Hideko or Ponta.

"Yes," he said.

"Then take my hand," said Toyotama, "and lay the other on Kusanagi."

Shinsou took her hand, and, steeling himself, placed his other hand on the sword.

He immediately felt a vastness within it, and a reaching back in time through untold ages. He felt a consciousness touching his own mind, reading him. _It's alive_ , he thought. He recoiled at the immensity of what lay within there, knowing that it was too much for his own mind to contain.

He felt as if the sword was echoing Toyotama's question, _Are you resolved to make this sacrifice?_

 _I am_ , he answered.

 _Then so be it_.

The sword began to glow, until it became so dazzlingly bright that no one could look at it. Shinsou felt it becoming warm in his hand. The brightness spread until it appeared to fill everything, obscuring everything else from sight. The light seemed to fill his entire mind and being, so that he felt as if he was becoming lost in it. Then the brilliance overwhelmed him, and after a while he felt as if he was falling; and then he knew no more.


	13. The Chamber of Seasons

**13 THE CHAMBER OF SEASONS**

Shinsou opened his eyes. He was lying on the ground. It was very quiet, and for a moment he seemed to see an overpowering brightness surrounding him, obscuring everything else. Then the light faded, and he saw something dim and green above him.

Other shapes were coming into view as well. He blinked, not really comprehending where he was. He tried to remember what had just happened. There were faces coming into focus above him; he recognised them: Ponta, wide-eyed and amazed. Hideko, one hand over her mouth, looking at him in glad disbelief. Toyotama-hime, smiling warmly. And wasn't that Shigeru, next to Hideko, with his old rakish grin?

At the sight of his friend, Shinsou suddenly remembered everything. He sat up. His head swam, and he shook it slightly, as if to clear it.

Shigeru was crouching down on one knee, next to him. He looked at Shinsou solemnly, and then held out a hand.

"Brother, thank you," he said.

Shinsou laughed, and they clasped hands.

"Not at all," he said, "I must say, it's good to see that grin of yours again!"

Shigeru grinned even more broadly. Ponta was jumping around, doing a small dance of celebration. Hideko was smiling.

"Well done, Shinsou-kun," she said.

Shinsou got slowly to his feet, and so did everyone else who had been crouching around him.

"But I don't understand," he said, looking at Toyotama, "I thought – ?"

"Kusanagi decided to spare you," she said, "It spoke to me. It acknowledged that Yanigahara-san was not an evil person and had not deserved to die, and it was agreeable to undoing what it did. It said that your willingness to make the sacrifice was enough."

"This is a happy day!" said Ponta, drumming on his tummy, "Shinsou-san, welcome back!"

Shigeru cleared his throat.

"Brother, there's someone else whom you should speak to," he said.

Shinsou turned around. He had been vaguely aware that somebody was missing.

"Hanayo?" he said.

She was sitting to one side, staring down at the floor. She didn't look up, although she knew that Shinsou had come over to her.

"Don't talk to me," she said in a low voice, "I'm not forgiving you. How could you make me do such a thing! I'm never, never going to speak to you again."

"But it turned out all right in the end, didn't it?" said Shinsou, "And we've got Shigeru back! Surely you're glad about that!"

"Of course I am," she said, almost in tears, "but what if the sword hadn't spared you? What would the price have been?"

"Which reminds me," said Shinsou, turning to Toyotama, "Toyotama-hime, we've wanted very much to find a cure for Hanayo's blindness. If in the end, your healers are unable to help her, I was wondering if Kusanagi might not be used to effect a similar exchange …"

Toyotama looked grave.

"Shinsou-san," she said, "I understand what you are suggesting. Be warned, this time it is unlikely that the same thing will happen. If you are offering to give her your vision, please know that you will really lose your sight."

"What?" cried Hanayo, suddenly comprehending what the conversation was about, "I don't believe my ears! Are you mad? No, no, I won't agree to it!"

"Hanayo – " Shinsou began, but Shigeru had also come forward.

"Hold on, brother," he said, "you did your part just now. If someone is to give her their sight, I think it should be me."

"No!" said Hanayo desperately, "No one is going to give me their sight! And Shinsou, don't, don't brainwash me again!"

She burst into tears, because she was so upset.

"Shinsou-kun, Yanigahara-san, please hold on for a minute!" said Hideko, "I commend your generosity, but there is no need to upset Hana-chan by going into this now, until we are sure that she cannot be healed in some other way. Do not forget that even if the healers here cannot do anything, she may still find a cure when she returns to dry land. If so, your sacrifices would be unnecessary."

"Well! Sentiments are high, and indeed we are all feeling much emotion and excitement at what has just happened!" exclaimed Princess Toyotama, "But, dear friends, as Hideko-san says, let us take a step back and rest a little before more decisions are made! You will stay here at the Ryugu-jo a while, will you not? For I have been lonely here ever since I forsook the company of my husband Hoori, and left that beloved land above the waves. I am so happy that you have come. And I will have a feast prepared to welcome you tonight, when you can make the acquaintance of my father, Ryujin."

Ponta perked up at the mention of food, but Shinsou looked hesitant, because Hideko's words had suddenly reminded him of something.

"My apologies, Toyotama-hime," he said, "but I understand that time here moves more slowly than it does on land above. And we are in haste because we have to return the sword Kusanagi to Atsuta Shrine before the enthronement of the new emperor."

"You are only partially right, Shinsou-san," said Toyotama, "for the folklore that you have learned is not always accurate. Time indeed moves at a different pace here as compared to the dry land. But it is not a fixed difference. Sometimes it moves faster, sometimes slower. I know it too well, for when I was living with Hoori in your land, I occasionally came back down, and once, two years had passed down here in the Ryugu-jo when only a week had elapsed up above."

"I see," said Shinsou, "but even so, there is no way of telling when it will go faster or when it will go slower, is there? In which case, it would still be better if we were to leave earlier …"

"Indeed, I understand your situation," said Toyotama, "But take note, Shinsou-san! Are you aware that _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_ is willing to let you carry it now? I anticipated that this would be of import to you, and so I asked the sword just now. For Kusanagi is a sword of valour, and it has acknowledged your courage in being willing to sacrifice your life.

"Please grant me this request then – depart now, if you must, with Kusanagi, but let my kinswoman Hanayo remain with me a little longer. For it would grieve me much if all of you were to leave so soon, and I believe it would no less grieve your companion Shigeru, too."

Shinsou looked at Shigeru, startled. He had not realised, till then, that when they parted, it would be for all time. For if they were ever able to come back down again to visit the Ryugu-jo, too much time would have passed, and Shigeru might not be there any more.

Shigeru seemed to realise it too, because his face was sombre. Hanayo had stopped crying, and she was staring in the direction of Toyotama, as if trying to understand what she was saying.

"We're leaving Shigeru behind?" she cried, "Oh no, I can't bear to think of that! I'll miss him! How will we ever get along without him?"

Shigeru went over to her, and took her hands in his.

"If you could stay a while longer, Hanayo, and let the rest return first, it would mean a lot to me," he said.

"Shinsou-san," said Toyotama, " _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_ lies on the bier where it fell when Yanigahara-san rose up after waking from his slumber. Do you wrap it in these silk cloths and then place it in this bag, and strap the bag to your back."

Shinsou took the bag and cloths from Toyotama, and then gingerly picked the sword up and wrapped it in the cloths. He felt the vastness contained within the blade again for the few moments that his hand was in direct contact with it. He then quickly placed it in the bag, and strapped it to his back.

Toyotama was now looking at Hanayo, who was sitting quietly next to Shigeru, looking undecided.

"Hanayo-hime," she said, "Tell me, is it as it used to be, that the emperor has many offspring? Are you with numerous brothers and sisters? Perhaps … if you were to stay here longer, they might not miss you?"

"Well … actually, Highness, I am an illegitimate child," said Hanayo, looking ashamed for the first time when talking about her lineage, "My mother was a geisha. She is dead now. I don't think my father even knows that I exist."

Toyotama came over to her, and taking Hanayo's hands in hers, looked earnestly at her.

"Then if you have no ties binding you to that upper world, why don't you stay here with me for good?" she exclaimed, "I beg you to consider this option! For even though there are many seafolk living here with me, my heart has been lonely ever since I was separated from Hoori. And it would be a comfort for me to have one of my kin, descended from both me and him, living here with me. Come with me! I will show you and Yanigahara-san that you need never miss the beauty found in the lands above!"

She placed an arm about Hanayo's waist, and then nodded at Shigeru and the others to follow. She turned and led Hanayo slowly down the avenue toward the palace, but in a few minutes she turned off onto another path that branched off to the right.

After a while, a low, white building came into view. It was built in a mixture of coral and crystal and stone, and when the group entered, they saw that the interior consisted of only one circular room, lit up by phosphorescence. There were lavish quantities of gold leaf and elaborate carvings on the walls, but the most unusual thing about the room were six rectangular, doorless openings spaced evenly around it.

"Minna-san, I call this room my chamber of seasons," announced Toyotama, "King Ryujin created this for me to ease my sorrow over the loss of Hoori. For I missed much the land that exists above the waves, and so he placed here all the things that I loved the most from there – the seasons, the mountains, and the sound of the surf on the shore."

The group members wandered around the chamber, looking out of each door. Each led to a different land. Toyotama led Hanayo to each in turn, and described what lay there to her. There was a garden outside one door, and it appeared to be springtime, for it contained sakura trees in full bloom. Another door led to a field full of summer flowers, reminiscent of the meadow Shinsou had brought Hanayo to, in Shimane. A third contained a park with trees adorned in autumn splendour, all red and gold, while the fourth led to a winter wonderland, with a forest of fir trees covered with snow.

The fifth door led to a valley surrounded by mountains, with gorges and waterfalls in the distance, while the sixth led to a beach.

The group walked out onto the beach. It was wild and lonesome there, with gulls flying high in the sky, and white-crested waves rushing in onto the shore. When they looked back, they could see the door behind them hanging in midair, with the white room and its ornate gold leaf and carvings visible within.

Shinsou happened to be standing near Hanayo and Toyotama.

"Do you feel it, Hanayo-hime?" Toyotama was saying, "The wind from the sea? Can you hear the waves on the shore, and smell the salt tang in the air? And you can experience such things similarly in those other places … the cold of winter where you can feel the snow, the freshness in the air when it is spring … you can walk in all these places any time you like, together with Yanigahara-san."

Toyotama saw Shinsou nearby, listening, and smiled at him.

"Yes, I can feel it," said Hanayo.

She paused and turned her head, as if looking for someone. Shinsou didn't know how she knew that he was there, but she did.

"Shinsou?" she said.

"Yes," he said.

Toyotama seemed to know that Hanayo wanted to talk in private, and retreated a few steps away.

"Before I make a decision about whether to live here with Toyotama or not," Hanayo said quietly, "there's something that I'd like to ask you."

"Go ahead," he said.

"Tell me," Hanayo said in a low voice, her eyes downcast, "if you can give me any reason why I shouldn't stay here with Shigeru."

Shinsou was silent for a few moments, and then said gently, "I'm sorry, Hanayo, but I can't."

She nodded, her face sad. She turned around, looking for Toyotama, and the Dragon King's daughter came forward again.

Shinsou went over to the door suspended in the air, and re-entered the chamber. One by one, the others came back in. When they had all gathered there, Toyotama, her girlish face looking serious, addressed them.

"Minna-san," she said, "Hanayo-hime has informed me that she has decided to stay here with me, and with your beloved companion, Yanigahara-san. This is joyful for me, but I know that it is a sorrowful occasion for you, for your company is being split asunder. I know that those returning to the land above can tarry here no longer, for they are in haste to restore _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_ to its rightful place. Let us then make our way down to the gates, so that I may open up my whirlpool and convey you back to the surface. And you may say your goodbyes during the solemn walk there."

She led them out of the chamber, and called for the sea turtles to bring her _norimono_ over for Hanayo to sit in. It was large enough for Hideko and Ponta to get in as well, so that they could talk to the princess. As they started down the avenue back to the gates again, with Toyotama and her retinue of sea turtles leading the way, Shinsou found himself walking next to Shigeru.

They were silent for a few moments, and then Shigeru spoke.

"Tell me how one says goodbye for good, Shinsou," he said, "I'm sure I don't know how."

"Neither do I," said Shinsou. He hesitated, and then said, "You know, I want to thank you for all the things we did … what you taught me … the time in Iga …"

Shigeru gave a small bark of laughter.

"Thank?" he said, "Thank? What did you do for me just now? Who should thank who? In a thousand years I'd never be able to repay that debt!"

"It was nothing," said Shinsou abruptly, "I would that it could have been better, that you could come back with us. I should have told you what Kubo said, that they would have been lying in wait to snatch the sword the minute it appeared. If I had …"

"If," said Shigeru, "If this, if that. There are always ifs. If I had gone after Hanayo as you had told me to, instead of sitting there feeling sorry for myself, she might not have become blind. We can't live our lives thinking about ifs. I've spent my whole life thinking about Mitsuki, but what if I had agreed to marry her when I was eighteen? Would it have worked out in the end? Maybe not."

He was quiet for a while, as if thinking, and then said directly, "I know that Hanayo is staying because she feels sorry for me. And I'm not stopping her, because I want her with me. And I also believe that she's better off here … she'll be with family, she'll still be treated like a princess, and she'll receive good care for her blindness. If she went back up to land, I'd worry that she might not manage to get her sight back after all, and then frankly, her future would be bleak. Even if her old governess is kind, how long would she be able to look out for her? The governess is old. What will happen once she passes on? And if Hanayo were to meet someone and settle down, perhaps I'm being cynical, but with all her wealth, there's a high chance that whoever pursues her will be after her money …"

Shinsou was amazed that Shigeru had thought things through to that extent.

"But tell me, brother," continued Shigeru, "if there's any chance that you might come to care for her. Because if there is, then none of that would matter. I'd let her go. I'd tell her to go back with the rest of you …"

Shinsou was quiet for a few moments.

"No," he said finally, "No, Shigeru. I don't care for her in that way. And she knows it."

"She'd leave me in a second if she thought she had any chance with you," said Shigeru.

"That's not true," said Shinsou firmly, "You didn't see her reaction when you died. She might not know it herself, but she cares for you more than either of you know."

Shigeru gave a small sigh.

"You know, in truth, sometimes I don't know whether I'm really in love with her, or whether it's because of her mother," he said.

"Perhaps it's both," said Shinsou, simply.

"Perhaps," agreed Shigeru, smiling.

He paused, and then said heavily, "Shinsou, I'm sorry about the sword … this is the first time that I'm unable to complete a mission, that I'm not able to fulfil my responsibility ... and now the burden will now fall on you, alone."

"Don't worry about it," said Shinsou lightly, "I won't be alone. Hideko and Ponta will be with me."

"A lethal combination," said Shigeru, giving his rakish grin.

"Indeed they are," said Shinsou, smiling as well. He became serious after a while, however, and said, "Do you want me to say anything to your family?"

Shigeru did not answer right away.

"I don't know what should be said to them," he said at last, and there was a look of regret on his face, "They won't believe you if you told them the truth. Perhaps they should think that I died …" He was silent.

They were interrupted at this point by Hideko and Ponta, coming up from behind.

"It's our turn with Yanigahara-san now, Shinsou-kun," said Hideko, "We will be reaching the gates soon, and you must talk to Hana-chan before you go."

Shigeru nodded at Shinsou, so he turned around and made his way over to the _norimono_.

Hanayo's conversation with Hideko and Ponta must have been emotional, because her eyes were red from crying when Shinsou entered the palanquin. She had a slightly defeated expression on her face, and when she realised it was Shinsou, she felt around for his arm and pulled it around her, and rested her head on his shoulder without asking for his permission, as if she was past caring whether he would agree to it or not.

He looked at her in concern. "Are you all right?"

"No," she said, looking slightly distraught.

He tightened his arm about her slightly, wondering how to cheer her up. She gave a small sniff.

"I'm sorry I asked you that question on the beach, just now," she said.

"It's all right," said Shinsou.

"Actually, I knew what your reply would be," she said, looking depressed, "but I had to ask. Because if I didn't, I'd always wonder if you might not have given me a different answer ..."

"Hanayo," said Shinsou, "There's something I must say to you. There's nothing I want more than for you to stay here with Shigeru. But we want you to be happy, too. I hope that you don't feel as if you're being forced to stay. No one is making you stay if you don't want to. I know that Shigeru would agree with me. I don't know what the healers here are like, but I genuinely believe you have a chance, if you went back up to land, to recover your eyesight … remember what I mentioned to you, about the Quirks with alternative healing features, or the eye transplant ..."

Hanayo was silent for a while.

"I'm aware of that," she said at length, "But, you know … once I go, I'll never be able to come back to Shigeru again. Time would have passed, and by the time I come back here, he might be gone. And what if in the end, I don't get my sight back? Perhaps the doctor will say a transplant isn't feasible … I'd still be blind, and I would have gone back up to land for nothing, and lost Shigeru as well …"

She shook her head.

"No," she said, "My vision doesn't matter any more. I did things that were wrong, and I'll bear the punishment that has been given me. You know, being blind has made me see things better. Does that sound like a contradiction? I see myself clearly now, and other people. You saved me so many times … when we were riding Aki away from the dogs … when you got me out of the _daitenshu_ … even when you came after Kubo made me blind. If you hadn't come, he might have killed me. He was angry. I never thanked you for any of it. All I did was argue with you and make trouble for the group."

"It doesn't matter," said Shinsou, "it's all in the past, now."

"It matters," said Hanayo, looking emotional, "Thank you. Thank you, for everything you've done for me. Even getting Aki."

"You're welcome," said Shinsou, giving her arm a squeeze, since she couldn't see his expression.

She gave a small sigh, and shifted to a slightly more comfortable position. Her curls were tickling his chin.

"I know I'm right about staying," she said, "At least I'd be doing something for my mother, by doing something for Shigeru. She never stopped loving him. My mother was the person who meant the most to me in the world. I can do something for her, here. What could I do for her if I went back up on land? And is there anyone who cares for me on land the way Shigeru does? There isn't. How much meaning in my life will there be, back up on land?"

"You might eventually meet someone else there, and fall in love," Shinsou said.

She gave a small, sad smile. "Like you?"

He didn't know what to say to that.

"No," she said, eyes downcast, "I know I have to stay. I can't leave him. I already care a lot about him. I can learn to love him, after a while. I can."

There was a pause, and then Shinsou said, "I believe you'll be happy here. I brainwashed some of the guards to check what it's like. They say Toyotama and her father are both kind and well-loved by the people. It's a good place to live. And she seems to genuinely love you. You'll be well taken care of."

Hanayo looked wistful.

"You even took the trouble to check up on all that for me," she said, "I believe I can be happy here. But the hardest part is not being able to meet you and Hideko and Ponta again. If I could, then everything would be perfect."

"Oh Hanayo," said Shinsou, "even if we all went back up together, how often would we ever meet, once all this is over? You'd be in Shimonoseki, and Hideko and Ponta would go back to their homes in the mountains near Kyoto. And I would be in Tokyo. You don't know how busy it is, where I work. I hardly even have time for my parents or Ayumi. I go away for weeks or months at a time, on assignments like these, either that or I'm busy training, because some of the skills I have to learn take years to master, or become lost if I don't continuously practise them ... we'd hardly meet."

She was crying a little.

"I could still hope," she sobbed, "Even if we only met once every five or ten years. But once all of you leave, there won't be any hope at all."

"You'll meet new people here, and form new attachments," said Shinsou, trying to sound positive, "You won't think so much about us, after a while."

She didn't seem to be listening to him.

"I wasted so much time fighting and arguing with you during the journey," she said regretfully, "I had to become _blind_ to see all these things, see how foolish I was, to see that you were right most of the time, and had actually treated me well."

"Well, there's no need to feel too bad about it," said Shinsou lightly, "when you think about all of it, some of it was actually quite funny, wasn't it?"

She smiled, rather unwillingly.

"Yes," she admitted, and she actually laughed.

"And you and Shigeru can look back at all of it and laugh," said Shinsou encouragingly, "it would be ever so much better than feeling sad."

She gave a small sigh, and squeezed his hand.

"I'll miss you," she said, sadly.

The pace at which the _norimono_ was progressing suddenly slowed, and their bearers halted and placed it gently on the ground. Hanayo's face became pale, as she realised that they had reached the gates.

She held on to Shinsou's hand tightly as he helped her out, but then Shigeru was there, and she obediently stood next to him.

Hideko said goodbye first. She embraced and kissed Hanayo, and then looked at Shigeru.

"Yanigahara-san, you have been given a second chance," she said, "Use well the days!"

"I intend to, Hideko-san," he said solemnly, giving a small bow.

Ponta then bowed, and shook Shigeru's hand. He then turned to Hanayo, and she promptly burst into tears.

"Oh Ponta!" she sobbed, hugging him, "Dear, dear Ponta!"

Tears were running down Ponta's cheeks as well. "Farewell, Hanayo-hime," he said, sorrowfully.

It was now Shinsou's turn. He and Shigeru clasped hands, and the latter said soberly, "Good luck, brother."

"You too, Shigeru," said Shinsou, quietly.

He then turned to Hanayo and, taking her hands in his, kissed her on the forehead. "Goodbye, Hanayo."

She had been trying hard not to cry in the beginning, but now gave up. She just stood there with her eyes closed, sobbing quietly, the tears running down her cheeks.

"G-goodbye," she sobbed.

"Remember the promise you made to me in Shimane," said Shinsou, gently.

"I remember," she whispered. There was an expression of despair on her face.

Shinsou tried to release her hands, but she was gripping his tightly. He was wondering what to do, but Shigeru put an arm around her, and she promptly relaxed her hold, letting him go.

Shinsou went over to the wrought-iron gates and stood with Hideko and Ponta. They bowed to Princess Toyotama, who bowed in return. Then she lifted her arms, and above her the waters started to churn.

Hideko and Ponta were looking about as solemn as Shinsou had ever seen them. The three of them stood facing Shigeru and Hanayo, just nearby. Shigeru still had his arm around the princess, and he gave Shinsou his rakish grin, but Hanayo had given up trying to be brave. She was leaning against Shigeru, sobbing, the tears streaming down her face. Without her sight, she couldn't even watch them leave. Then the maelstrom above them strengthened, and strong air currents began drawing them up through the core of the vortex. They began moving up, losing sight of Shigeru and Hanayo and the other people from the land of the Dragon King. They were racing upward, and darkness surrounded them as the whirlpool pulled them swiftly back up to their own world.


	14. Atsuta Shrine

**14 ATSUTA SHRINE**

When Toyotama's whirlpool brought Shinsou and the others back to the surface at Shimonoseki, he had expected to see the cliff outside the house of Kazuko Harada in front of them. Instead, the first thing they heard was the howling of the wind. A storm was in full force, and the sea was throwing up huge waves.

The three of them were caught up by one such wave, and thrown violently onto the shore. Ponta, who had shapeshifted into human form, squeaked in fright and popped back into his tanuki form.

The wind was blowing with incredible force, and debris was flying everywhere. It was impossible to speak or be heard over the fury of the tempest. The road where they'd landed was flooded, the water waist-high. Shinsou, fearing that the wind would blow them away and separate them, managed to grasp both Hideko and Ponta's hands. He could vaguely make out, from the shapes around them, that they were not near Harada-san's house but in some other part of the city. Slowly, they waded through the water and sought shelter in the nearest building.

It was a small, run-down hotel, and the front room was in knee-deep water. There was no one there. They waded a bit further in, to get away from the din of the storm.

Shinsou could feel the sword Kusanagi, strapped to his back. He didn't know if he was imagining it, but the sword felt warm.

"This is a truly terrible storm!" squeaked Ponta, his eyes bulging with fright.

"It is not an ordinary storm," said Hideko, trying to wring water out of her sleeves, "it is a typhoon."

"Yes," said Shinsou, "and that means that a week has passed up here since we went down to the Ryugu Palace. There was a typhoon forecast to hit this area, one week ago."

"It is bad timing," said Ponta, looking mournful, "we cannot go anywhere now. We will have to wait for the storm to subside."

Shinsou frowned. Although the enthronement ceremony was still several weeks away, he was afraid something might happen to the sword again. He wanted to return it to Atsuta Shrine, as soon as possible. He was aware of it, strapped to his back. He wasn't imagining it; through all the layers of cloth that it was wrapped in, it was feeling unusually warm, and he had the uncomfortable feeling that it could read his thoughts.

Hideko was looking at him.

"Shinsou-kun, are you willing to wait?" she asked, "The typhoon may pass in a day or two."

"I suppose we'll have to," he said reluctantly, "but some of these typhoons don't move off quickly. If this one is almost stationary or very slow-moving, it may last for several days, and if you have torrential rain like this staying on the same spot, the flooding will be catastrophic."

"There is one option," said Hideko, her green eyes glinting, "The sword, Shinsou-kun! Did you never hear of how it came to be given the name, Kusanagi? Yamato Takeru used it to generate wind blasts and defeat his enemies! The sword can control the wind!"

"Use the sword?" said Shinsou. He was uncomfortably aware that the sword was feeling warmer than ever. "How can we? I'm afraid of even touching it!"

"Ponta and I cannot, but you can," said Hideko, "It allows you to touch it, now!"

"Touch it, maybe. Use it, unlikely," argued Shinsou, "and I wouldn't even know how to begin doing it!"

"You can try talking to the sword with your mind," insisted Hideko, "Your Quirk has made you used to using your mind to do things. You have been doing it all your life. You can find a way to communicate with it!"

Shinsou shifted. The sword was becoming hotter.

"O Hideko-san, maybe he shouldn't," said Ponta, looking worried, "There are only three of us left now. If the sword becomes angry and injures Shinsou-san instead, Toyotama-hime is far beneath the ocean. We would not be able to revive him."

"We could try checking for some weather forecast," said Shinsou, trying to distract them from the subject, "and see if the typhoon is expected to move off soon."

They made their way out of the hotel lobby and up the stairs. The hotel had six storeys, and appeared to be empty. All the occupants had evacuated the building. However, Ponta managed to find the previous day's newspapers in one of the hotel rooms.

It was too dim to read the newspaper, and the hotel had no electricity. Shinsou wandered around, and by some stroke of luck found a lost smartphone, which someone must have dropped. It had no internet connection, but they managed to look at the newspaper using the light from the phone. The weather forecast predicted that the typhoon was going to linger around southern Japan for another three days.

"We cannot stay here for three days," Hideko pointed out, "We need to find some food and fresh water. We will have to make our way slowly to the neighbouring buildings and look for aid."

"It's dangerous, with all the debris flying around," objected Shinsou, "It's not the wind that kills you in a typhoon, it's the things being blown about by the wind that do."

He looked at the other two. They were standing, watching him, expecting him to take the lead. He could feel the heat from the sword, burning itself into his back.

"Let me have a few minutes alone," he said, "I need to think."

He left them in the hotel room and went back down to the lobby. He found a quieter spot where the howling of the wind wasn't so loud, and tried to compose himself. Drawing a breath and closing his eyes, he tried to reach the sword with his mind.

The heat from the sword subsided. As if it had been waiting, as if it had been trying to get his attention. His mind touched it, and he could feel again the vastness within it, the reaching back of time through the ages. He tried to speak to it with his thought, asking if it would allow him to use it.

The words did not really form in his mind, but he somehow heard them. _Use me_ , it said, _bring me back to Atsuta Shrine_.

He waded through the water back to the entrance of the hotel, where the wind was howling, blowing into the lobby in irresistible gusts. His mind tried to reach the sword, asking it to calm the wind.

The gale around the door suddenly died down. The air around him was calm. Outside, he could see it still blowing in full force. But around him, within a circle of about two metres, the air was still.

He went back up to look for Hideko and Ponta.

"I tried talking to the sword," he said, "I think it might be willing to help us walk through the storm."

.

.

.

Shinsou glanced at Hideko and Ponta in the rear view mirror. They appeared to be looking at him with a mixture of trepidation and reverence. The three of them had managed to walk through the typhoon in an oasis of calm. They had walked to higher ground, and had come across several abandoned cars. They had found one that was unlocked, and Shinsou had managed to hotwire it. The sword had obligingly surrounded the car in a sphere of stillness, and he was now driving them to Nagoya.

"Hideko-san," he said, "On Mt Daisen, Kubo told me that an _onryo_ named Sutoku was responsible for stealing Kusanagi. Do you know who that is?"

"Sutoku?" said Hideko, "He was a previous emperor of Japan … he lived during the late Heian period. But there was infighting among the royal family at the time, and he lost the throne. When he died, he had been deposed and humiliated, and he was full of rage for the imperial court.

"It was believed that he swore a curse on Japan. After his death, there were disasters – storms, plagues, fires, droughts, and earthquakes. Not only that, but the next heir to the throne died suddenly at a young age, and the allies of the current emperor were killed in battle. There was civil war – in five years of violent bloodshed, the power of the imperial court vanished, and the Kamakura Shogunate took over the country. All this was attributed to Sutoku Tenno's curse."

Ponta was listening, wide-eyed. Shinsou was silent for a few minutes.

"They are powerful, aren't they, these _onryo_?" he said, after a while.

"They can be," said Hideko quietly, "If Sutoku is responsible for all this, we have seen him able to possess people, as he did Hana-chan's adopted father, and he has been able to possess all those hundreds of tengu whom we saw preparing for war. And if the legends are true, he has brought about natural disasters before, and instigated bloody rebellion in the country. If that is not powerful, then what is?"

There was a pause, and then Shinsou said, "If we return the sword, he would be able to steal it again, wouldn't he? What can be done, then, to defeat someone like that?"

Hideko did not reply at once. She seemed to be thinking.

"I do not know, Shinsou-kun," she said, at last. She glanced out the window, her expression sombre. "You can only return Kusanagi to the Shinto priests. But as for Japan, if it is true that someone as powerful as that has returned to inflict his curse, the future looks bleak."

.

.

.

The weather gradually improved as they left southern Japan, and Shinsou soon no longer needed to use the sword Kusanagi to calm the wind. They reached Nagoya in the afternoon. The sky was overcast, and as they approached Atsuta Shrine, the daylight appeared to be fading.

He parked the car some distance from the Shrine, and they began walking toward it. Shinsou was in the disguise that he had been using for much of the journey; he had already been wearing it when they had reached Harada-san's house in Shimonoseki. Hideko had attired herself in a simple blouse and slacks, and her hair was tied back in a ponytail. Ponta, to Hideko's amusement, had shapeshifted into the form of a ten-year-old boy.

"We almost look like a family," she said, taking Ponta's hand in hers.

"Perhaps," said Shinsou, smiling slightly, "I don't think I'd ever have a wife as beautiful as you, though."

She looked at him, her green eyes glinting.

"You will have a beautiful wife," she said enigmatically, "and she will look like me."

"Unlikely," said Shinsou, amused, "Ayumi has blue eyes and hair. But she's pretty enough, for me."

Ponta was looking uncomfortable. He was more used to the forest and small villages, and seldom came to a big city like Nagoya.

"Look at the sky above the Shrine!" he exclaimed suddenly, "What is happening there?"

The sky was thick with flocks of birds, so numerous that they almost blocked out the sun.

"No wonder it's so dim," said Shinsou, "Are those birds? Or …"

"No, they are not birds," said Hideko, "Look at their shape. They are tengu!"

Ponta looked terrified.

"They are flying in circles around the Shrine," he said, "something bad must be going to happen!"

Shinsou looked soberly at the tengu. They were so numerous, it was like watching a swarm of insects. He'd had no idea that there were so many of them. They far outnumbered all the heroes in Japan, and Shinsou knew, too, that they were actually spirits; he wondered if it was even possible to kill them. Being spirits, it was likely that they could vanish and re-appear at will, and even heroes with strong physical powers might be unable to defeat them.

They walked on, and the Shrine eventually came into view. It seemed very crowded there; besides a number of people milling around the sidewalk, there was also a crowd queueing up to enter the Shrine, and there were about ten long-nosed tengu at the entrance, checking everyone who was going in.

"Why, what is happening?" said Hideko, looking astonished.

Shinsou looked around. The people standing around the sidewalk were watching the tengu. There were ordinary members of the public and tourists, but there were also police officers and several heroes as well, recognisable by their hero costumes. There were also several people who looked like they were from the media.

"Shinsou-san, look!" said Ponta suddenly, pointing up at the sky, "Do you see … ?"

Hideko was also looking alarmed.

"It can't be …" she said.

Shinsou looked up. High up, suspended in the air above the centre of the Shrine, was a large figure, visible among the flying tengu. Its shape was like that of a man, with long, wildly flying hair, and it wore faded robes of grey that were stained with blood. Blood also dripped from its gnarled hands. Its head was not that of a man's, however, but a demon's. Its face was black and grotesque, with a gaping mouth filled with many sharp teeth, and staring red eyes.

"Is that Sutoku …?" Shinsou said uneasily, taking in the figure, "He's doesn't look human. He's become a demon."

The figure seemed to dissolve, until only the demon's face was left. It began to grow larger, until it was huge, almost filling the entire sky above the Shrine. Its staring red eyes had a hungry expression in them, and they were moving this way and that, as if looking for something. Then the face began shrinking again, until it had returned to its original size, and the manlike figure reappeared.

Shinsou suddenly heard Hideko saying sharply, "Pon-chan, change back!"

He turned to look at Ponta. The latter had shapeshifted back to tanuki form, and he was shaking with fright.

Shinsou and Hideko hurriedly surrounded Ponta in order to block him from view. Ponta sheepishly shapeshifted back into human form.

"Ponta is sorry, Hideko-san," he stuttered, "he was frightened."

"Sutoku Tenno looks as if he is searching for something," murmured Hideko, looking thoughtfully up at the ghastly figure, "Perhaps the sword."

Shinsou looked at the crowd on the sidewalk, wondering what they made of the spectacle in the sky. No one was looking up, however; attention seemed to be solely focused on the tengu at the gate.

"It looks as if no one else is able to see those tengu in the sky, or even Sutoku," he said, perplexed.

"They will not be seen by men if they do not want to be seen," replied Hideko, "Ponta and I are _yokai_ , so we can see them. And you have been sensitised to see them too, being one who has travelled with _yokai_ , and touched Kusanagi."

Shinsou looked up again at the form of the Demon Emperor in the sky, his face sombre. How would you defeat something like that, he wondered. It was a ghost, and he didn't know if he could brainwash something that wasn't in bodily form. He had no idea how to even make it come down to earth.

He hadn't expected to encounter this at the Shrine. He had thought that the return of the sword would be a simple affair. Would he return the sword to the Shinto priests, only to have it taken by Sutoku again? Then all the effort they had put into recovering the sword would have been in vain. The sacrifices made by their group – they had lost Hanayo and Shigeru, and Hanayo had become blind – would have been for nothing.

Shinsou looked around. They had to press forward, no matter what. He would take things one at a time. Spotting a police officer standing alone nearby, he went over and brainwashed him.

"What has been happening here?" he asked.

"Two weeks ago," said the policeman, "those people disguised as tengu appeared, and took control over the entrances to the Shrine. They have blocked off the other entrances, and are only allowing entry at this one, and they are checking the belongings of everyone who goes in, especially the Shinto priests."

"What are they looking for?" asked Shinsou.

"They wouldn't tell anyone," said the policeman, "but some of us overheard them saying they are looking for a sword. Since this is Atsuta Shrine, everyone thinks that it means Kusanagi no Tsurugi."

"Kusanagi?" said Hideko, looking questioningly at Shinsou.

Shinsou suddenly realised what had happened.

"Before we arrived at Shimonoseki, Sutoku must have thought that Lin Wenjian had fled the country with Kusanagi," he explained to Hideko and Ponta, "But there's still one Tosa bodyguard remaining now, and he must have seen the other Tosa and Shigeru disappearing into the sea with the sword. He must have told Sutoku. Now that Sutoku knows that the sword is still in the country, he's expecting someone to try returning it to Atsuta Shrine. That's why he's stationed the tengu here, to check everyone, and he's hanging around up in the air, ready to come down and get it, the minute it appears."

"But that is no good!" said Ponta worriedly, "How are we going to enter the Shrine, now?"

"Let me finish questioning this fellow first," said Shinsou. He turned back to the police officer. "Who do people think those tengu are?"

"We don't know," said the policeman, "From what they have been doing, they might be some gang of villains who have shapeshifted into tengu form. When they appeared, we – meaning the police – tried to remove them from the Shrine, but they have powerful fans which blew us away with a strong wind. We called heroes to come in and help us, but then suddenly hundreds of tengu appeared. They overwhelmed the heroes, and not only that, during the fights, they hurt some bystanders and also damaged parts of the walls and buildings inside the Shrine. After that the Shinto priests asked the heroes to stop, because they were afraid the Shrine would be destroyed. The priests said that since the villains are only doing a body search on the people entering, and checking their bags, they are willing to tolerate them. They hope that when the villains find what they are looking for, they will leave. So for the time being we have just stationed police officers and heroes around to keep an eye on them, until the police chief decides what to do next."

"Do you think they might really be tengu, and not villains?" asked Shinsou, looking intently at him.

"Real tengu?" said the police officer, "the media have been writing all kinds of stories about this, of course, especially the tabloids, but personally, I think it is more likely that they might be from some villain who has a Quirk that allows him to clone himself and shapeshift …"

"Then what do you make of the tengu flying in the sky and that figure of the Demon Emperor lurking up there?" said Shinsou.

"Tengu in the sky?" said the policeman, sounding rather baffled, "I haven't seen anything there. It has been very cloudy, of course. The clouds are only covering the Shrine area, until it is almost like night, but the rest of Nagoya appears normal. People are saying that Amaterasu is still angry over the theft of Kusanagi. Personally, I do not know what to make of it."

Shinsou dismissed the police officer, and then he and Hideko and Ponta discussed what to do next.

"We'll have to try entering the Shrine at one of the other entrances," said Shinsou, "If we enter here, they'll find the sword on me, and if we put up a fight it will attract a lot of attention."

"One of us can merge with you and disguise you, Shinsou-san," said Ponta, "then we can hide the sword. Or we can even shapeshift you into a bird and fly over the walls."

But Shinsou was reluctant to do anything that involved transforming Kusanagi, not the least because he felt that the sword itself might not like it. And for some reason he felt that he should not unstrap the sword from his back in order to shapeshift separately from it.

In the end, they walked around the perimeter of the Shrine until they saw the torii gate that marked the next entrance. There were quite a number of trees in the vicinity, which Shinsou thought was good because they blocked them from the view of Sutoku and the tengu that were in the air. Otherwise, they might be spotted entering.

There were two tengu standing at the entrance holding _ha-uchiwa,_ or feathered fans, capable of producing strong winds, and two other tengu standing by acting as sentries. Shinsou asked Hideko and Ponta to shapeshift into tengu, to make it look like they were escorting him in. He was hoping that the tengu on watch might not use their fans, then.

Unfortunately, it didn't work. The tengu looked suspicious, and still pointed the _ha-uchiwa_ at Shinsou and his companions when they saw them approaching. Blasts of air hit them, but Shinsou asked Kusanagi to disperse the winds, and he then managed to walk up to the tengu and quickly brainwashed all of them.

He and Hideko and Ponta then walked through the torii gate and entered the grounds. They stopped a short distance inside, and after the two _yokai_ had shapeshifted back to their earlier forms, they discussed what to do next.

"I've been thinking," said Shinsou, "I'd prefer to return Kusanagi to the Shinto priests first, before deciding what to do about Sutoku."

"Return it?" said Ponta, wide-eyed, "Ponta thought you might use it to defeat Sutoku Tenno, Shinsou-san."

"Yes, Shinsou-kun," objected Hideko, "we will need something powerful to defeat someone like Sutoku. The sword has great power – it brought Yanigahara-san back to life! If we think hard enough, we might be able to find some way to use it to vanquish this _onryo_."

"I've considered that," said Shinsou, "in Shigeru's case, Toyotama was there to mediate with the sword and combine her power with it. I don't think I fall anywhere near her category. And I don't think generating any sort of strong wind to blow Sutoku away will have any sort of lasting effect. I can't think of anything else I could make the sword do. Can you?"

They looked at each other, but nobody said anything.

"Maybe Shinsou-san is right," said Ponta at length, looking fearful, "Maybe we can forget about defeating Sutoku Tenno. We can just return _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi,_ and then leave _._ "

"No, Pon-chan, we must do something," argued Hideko, "or Sutoku will just steal the sword again, and all our efforts, everything we sacrificed – especially losing Yanigahara-san and Hanayo-hime – will have been for nothing."

"Maybe you could ask Kusanagi, Shinsou-san?" asked Ponta, seeing that Shinsou appeared to be lost in thought.

"I tried to, while we were walking here," Shinsou said quietly, "but I got no response from it. I think that Kusanagi in general will not harm any member of the imperial family, no matter how evil he has become."

"But do you have an idea what to do next, if we return the sword?" asked Hideko.

"I'm forming a vague plan," Shinsou admitted, "but somehow I just feel sure of one thing: I want to return Kusanagi before we actually try tackling Sutoku. The other regalia were taken away and hidden once Kusanagi was stolen, and the Shinto priests here could similarly hide the sword somewhere, at least until the enthronement is over. If we still have it with us when we try engaging Sutoku, there's a high chance that he will take it from us."

Hideko and Ponta looked at him.

"Well, Shinsou-kun, the decision is yours," said Hideko at last, "We will abide by whatever you decide, and you are the only one among us who can wield the sword, after all. What is the plan that you have in mind?"

"For defeating Sutoku? I'll tell you later," said Shinsou, grateful for their support. "Let's go see the Shinto priests first."

So they turned and, making their way up the tree-lined path, walked deeper into the tranquil grounds of the ancient Shrine.


	15. The Demon Emperor

**15 THE DEMON EMPEROR**

Atsuta Shrine was one of the major Shrines in Japan. It was ancient, having been established centuries ago, and was located within a quiet, forested park. Pathways wound through tall trees, themselves hundreds of years old, passing carp-filled ponds and over gently curving bridges.

The Shrine did not consist of a single structure, but was a sprawling complex of different buildings. Besides the main shrine, or _Hongu_ , there were also several other smaller shrines scattered around the grounds, halls for weddings and other ceremonies, houses for performing the tea ceremony, and a _Bunkaden_ , or treasure hall, which was a museum that displayed many of the Shrine's relics.

Kite tengu continued to circle overhead as Shinsou and the others walked in, and he was conscious of the figure of Sutoku above them, every now and then swelling to fill the sky. He tried to keep to the trees as much as possible, keenly aware of the sword strapped to his back.

There were not many people around, probably because the tengu at the entrances were discouraging visitors from coming in. However, as they approached the major buildings – namely, the _Hongu_ and the _Bunkaden_ – more people began to appear. Some were pilgrims, but there were many tourists as well, and a number of people who looked like journalists, because they had photographers in tow.

Shinsou and the others eventually managed to find the Shrine office, where the receptionist informed them that the _guji_ , or chief priest, was not around. On learning that Shinsou was from the Directorate, he blinked and said, "Ah … yes, we were told to expect you some weeks ago. I'm so sorry that the guji is not here. But the _gonguji_ is right next door, at the _haiden_. Please look for him there."

They made their way over to the _haiden_ , or worship hall. Shinsou looked in. The gonguji, or deputy chief priest, was recognisable by his robes; he was standing at one end of the hall, talking to a small crowd of people.

Shinsou went back out and found a secluded corner where no one could see them, and unstrapped the bag holding the sword from his back. Ponta and Hideko stood next to him, watching.

He looked at the cloth bag in his hands. He felt that he couldn't let the sword go without saying a few words of parting to it. He tried to reach it with his mind, thanking it for letting him use it, thanking it for sparing Shigeru's life, and his own …

He felt a brief warmth emanate from it, and then it was gone.

He looked at Hideko and Ponta. They were looking solemn, because they were nearing their goal of returning the sword.

"It has been quite a journey, hasn't it?" he said.

"It has," said Hideko quietly, "We've travelled far, and suffered loss along the way."

Ponta was looking emotional.

Shinsou drew a breath.

"All right," he said, "Let's do this, then."

They went back into the _haiden_. To Shinsou's dismay, he suddenly realised that the small crowd of people that the _gonguji_ was entertaining looked like the media.

Telling Ponta and Hideko to follow him, Shinsou went right up to the front, and stood at one side, until the _gonguji_ looked at him.

"Gonguji-san," he said, bowing, "I need to speak to you urgently."

"My son, this is not the time – " said the _gonguji_ , and then his face went blank.

" _Gonguji_ -san, please tell the media that you will be back shortly," said Shinsou, "and then lead us to a private room where we can talk."

The gonguji followed his instructions, and although some of the media protested, he ignored them and turned and led Shinsou and the others to a small side office just nearby.

Shinsou woke the gonguji out of his trance.

"Gonguji-san," he said, "I am sorry to interrupt you, but I am from the Tokyo Intelligence Directorate."

The gonguji's eyes widened.

"Yes, yes, the guji told us that you might be coming," he said nervously, "The Imperial Palace informed us earlier that the agent who solved the Shiramine incident some years ago had been asked to help us recover the sword Kusanagi. Is that you? Does that mean that – ?"

"Yes," said Shinsou, "We have brought Kusanagi no Tsurugi back for your safekeeping." He bowed, and presented the bag containing the sword with both hands.

The _gonguji_ seemed quite overcome.

"My deepest apologies that the _guji_ is not here," he said, bowing low, and taking the bag respectfully from Shinsou. He looked inside, a reverent expression on his face. "It's a miracle," he said in awe, "Thank you. I cannot thank you enough."

Shinsou suddenly noticed the cordless microphone that was clipped to the _gonguji's_ robe. He heard the sound of shuffling feet outside the office. Someone knocked on the door, and Ponta went over and opened it. The media were outside, arranged in a solid wall. When Shinsou had brainwashed the _gonguji_ , the latter had not switched his microphone off, and the journalists had overheard the entire conversation.

Shinsou hurried over to the door and tried to shut it, but there were too many of them, and they were now pushing the door open. He glanced around. They were in a windowless room; there was no way to make an escape.

The journalists were shoving their way into the room.

"Did we hear rightly? Are you from the Intelligence Directorate?"

"You managed to bring Kusanagi no Tsurugi back? Where is it?"

"We want to see it!"

"Is that a tanuki with you? Sato, get some photos, will you?"

Shinsou turned around, and saw that Ponta, alarmed by the situation, had panicked and changed back into his real form.

There were several flashes, as the photographers there began snapping.

"Pon-chan! Change back!" said Hideko, sharply.

"How did you get the sword back? Who stole it? How was it stolen? Tell us the whole story!"

"Who are you? So you're the one who solved the Shiramine case as well?"

They were pressing against him. Shinsou tried to think clearly; this was worse than what had happened during the Shiramine affair.

"Silence!" he shouted. The media were startled; for a moment, they paused in their relentless questioning.

"Move back!" Shinsou said, loudly and angrily, "I only have time to answer ONE question, and then I have to leave! I will be fair. On the count of three, all of you will shout, 'Here!' The fastest one to shout it gets the question."

The media groaned and began protesting, but Shinsou remained unmoved.

"One question, only," he repeated. "On the count of three, then. One … two … three!"

"HERE!" shouted the media. All of them became blank-faced.

The photographers had not been brainwashed, though. None of them had shouted. There were seven of them, and they were looking at the glassy-eyed journalists in bewilderment, trying to figure out what had happened.

"All right, photographers," said Shinsou, "I don't mind letting you have some photos of the tanuki. Now, tell me which newspaper you're from. First, you …"

After he had brainwashed the seven photographers, he made everyone delete whatever photos or videos they had just taken. He then pushed his way out of the room. The gonguji and Hideko and Ponta, who had resumed his earlier human form, followed, looking bemused.

" _Gonguji_ -san," Shinsou said to the gonguji who was still holding the bag with the sword and looking rather overcome at what had just happened, "The thief is still at large, and may steal the sword again. Is there any way to keep it safe?"

"In the case of the other regalia, different individuals took them and went into hiding without telling anyone where they went," answered the gonguji, "no one knows their whereabouts. They were told to see that they had access to the news to find out if the thief had been caught, and whether it was safe for them to resurface. We can do the same."

"That was a wise move," said Shinsou approvingly, glancing at Hideko and Ponta, "even if Sutoku possessed all the priests at Ise Shrine or the officials in the Palace, no one would have been able to tell him where the regalia are."

"I will place the sword in a secure place now, until the _guji_ returns," added the gonguji, "Most likely the _Bunkaden_. I will not let anyone except the guji know that it has been returned." He hurried off with the precious bundle.

Shinsou, still conscious of the forbidding presence of Sutoku above them, led Hideko and Ponta to a copse of trees outside the _haiden_ to talk.

"I am sorry, Shinsou-san," said Ponta, looking extremely remorseful, "I panicked just now because I was so afraid that something might go wrong while we were returning the sword."

"Never mind, Pon-chan," said Shinsou, "I got them to delete the photos."

He looked at them.

"All right, this is my idea," he said, "Pon-chan, can you shapeshift into a bird after this, and fly around, and see if you can find the remaining member of the Tosa threesome anywhere? He's the only person I'm willing to sacrifice, if this works out."

"Yes, Shinsou-san," said Ponta, wide-eyed.

"Hideko-san," said Shinsou, "When we've found the Tosa and I've brainwashed him, I'd like you to merge with him and shapeshift into a likeness of Matsuyama, Hanayo's adopted father."

"Matsuyama?" said Hideko, surprised, "Why? But I do not know what he looks like. I would need to know before I can shapeshift into him."

"I'll try to borrow someone's phone and look for some videos of him," said Shinsou, "We can lure Sutoku down that way – Matsuyama has fled the country, but Sutoku wants him because he has a warp gate Quirk and can steal the other two imperial treasures as well."

"But once you have lured Sutoku down," said Hideko, "what are you going to do?"

"I believe he'll try to possess Matsuyama the way he did when the sword was stolen," said Shinsou, "He won't want to let Matsuyama get away again. I'm hoping that once he enters the Tosa and takes on a bodily form, I'll be able to brainwash him."

Hideko looked sceptical.

"This is risky, Shinsou-kun," she said, "what if it doesn't work?"

"I don't know," admitted Shinsou reluctantly, "we could try to run and hide, and think of something else, I suppose."

Ponta was looking worried.

"Unless you have other suggestions?" said Shinsou.

They looked at each other, and then Hideko sighed.

"I do not," she said, "Very well. I suppose we have to try this, if we cannot think of anything better."

Ponta transformed into a swift and went off to look for the Tosa. Shinsou managed to brainwash a passing tourist, and borrowed his smartphone. Lin Wenjian had given so many interviews that he hoped some of them could be found online; and sure enough, he found a few.

Hideko studied the videos for a few minutes.

"Yes," she said, "I can change into him."

Ponta came back within a few minutes. He said that the Tosa was standing not too far away, outside the _Bunkaden_.

Shinsou frowned.

"We don't want him near the sword," he said, "Let me get him over to the main shrine."

He made his way over to the Bunkaden, brainwashed the Tosa, and led him to a copse of trees not too far from the _Hongu_ , or main shrine.

"Shinsou-kun," said Hideko, intervening at this point, "Sutoku may not possess Matsuyama, but just talk to him. I would not know what kind of replies to give him. I think that you should be the one to speak to him."

Shinsou stared at her. "But how are we going to do that?"

"I can try merging you as well as myself into the Tosa," said Hideko.

"All right," said Shinsou, wondering whether things weren't becoming too complicated, "but if he looks like he's going to enter and possess the Tosa straight away, you'll have to unmerge both of us out of there fast, or he'll possess us too."

"Very well," said Hideko. She was beginning to look rather anxious, which was unusual for her. Shinsou had never seen her afraid before.

"If he only talks to us, I'm going to try to provoke him into possessing us," he continued, "and so, like I said, the minute it looks as if he's going to do it, unmerge us out of there."

They somehow managed to accomplish the merging. Hideko combined with Shinsou first, and then the both of them merged with the brainwashed Tosa. She then shapeshifted the Tosa into a likeness of Lin Wenjian.

Shinsou turned to Ponta.

"Pon-chan," he said, "Can you shapeshift into a kite tengu and fly up there, and tell Sutoku that Ichiro Matsuyama is here? Tell him where we are. And then rejoin us here."

"Talk to Lord Sutoku?" said Ponta, looking absolutely terrified, "Ponta can't do that!"

"Come now, Pon-chan," said Shinsou, trying to sound persuasive, "I can walk out in the open so that he might see me and come down, but we don't want too many people around when that happens. We want him to come to this secluded spot."

Ponta was almost crying with fear.

"Ponta can't do it, Shinsou-san," he wept, trembling like a jelly, "He will faint if he goes anywhere near Sutoku Tenno!"

 _Shinsou-kun_ , Shinsou heard Hideko's voice in his mind, _I am afraid that you will have to brainwash him._

Shinsou sighed.

"You can do it, Pon-chan," he said.

"No no no, Ponta can't," said Ponta with conviction, shaking his head vigorously with tears streaming down his cheeks. His face then became blank.

Shinsou, feeling rather guilty, ordered Ponta to transform into a kite tengu and deliver the message to the Demon Emperor.

Sutoku came down swiftly about five minutes after the shapeshifted Ponta had flown off.

"Matsuyama," he hissed, his huge ghostly form suspended in the air in front of the Tosa and looking quite terrifying, "So you are still in Japan after all! How dare you defy me! Where is Kusanagi?"

"I have it in my keeping," said Shinsou, "You're not going to get it."

Sutoku's demonic face looked even more ghastly up close than from a distance.

"Fool," whispered the Demon Emperor, "You know full well that I can possess you and make you do my bidding. You had best cooperate with me, or face the consequences!"

"No, I shall not cooperate," said Shinsou, his heart beating faster. He had never felt this nervous before. "I have realised my errors, and will not bend to evil."

"Very well, then," snarled Sutoku, "feel the force of my will!"

 _Now, Hideko!_ thought Shinsou, desperately.

Sutoku's ghostly form entered the Tosa as quick as a flash, but Hideko had already pulled herself and Shinsou out. Matsuyama's likeness vanished as the bodyguard regained its original canine appearance.

Shinsou turned, and faced the Tosa. It was one of the few times that he felt really afraid. He would have to speak quickly, before Sutoku felt around the Tosa's mind and realised that it wasn't Matsuyama.

"Sutoku Tenno," he said loudly, walking swiftly up to the Tosa, "Kusanagi is with me. Do you want to have it?"

Sutoku looked at him with narrowed eyes.

"Who are you? – " he hissed, and then his face became blank.

Shinsou drew a deep breath. The plan had worked! He had never felt so relieved in his life. He stood there, staring at Sutoku for a while, hardly able to believe that he had succeeded in brainwashing him.

Hideko put a hand on his shoulder, looking just as shaken.

"Well done, Shinsou-kun," she said softly, relief evident in her face.

Shinsou looked at the brainwashed Sutoku.

"Tell us, Lord Sutoku," he said, "how we might be able to defeat you."

"Make me walk into the sanctuary in the _Hongu_ where the _kami_ are enshrined," answered Sutoku, staring blankly into space, "The spirit of Amaterasu and the other _kami_ are there. They will not tolerate something as evil as myself desecrating the sanctuary. They will be enraged, and will combine their powers to evict me from their presence, and banish me from the country."

Shinsou's eyes gleamed in triumph. Hideko was staring at Sutoku in disbelief.

"I cannot believe it," she said in a whisper, "You just made him betray himself. He told us how to overthrow him."

Shinsou turned around to look for Ponta. He had come back down as Shinsou had earlier instructed him to, and was standing behind them, still in his brainwashed kite tengu form, staring into space. Shinsou noticed that a number of people had also now gathered near them, watching in fascination. They had probably come because they had spotted the kite tengu and wanted to see it close up, but they now also seemed to be watching Shinsou and the Tosa.

Shinsou couldn't be sure how long they had been standing there, or whether they had seen him and Hideko emerge from the Tosa. Some of them looked like they were taking videos, and he felt irritated. In the age of Quirks it actually wasn't unusual to see a person with a kite's head and wings, and he found it annoying how some people seemed to have nothing better to do than take videos of almost any trivial thing that crossed their path.

"Shinsou-kun," said Hideko, looking at the small crowd in concern as well, "What shall we do?"

"I don't have time to brainwash them," said Shinsou grimly, "The vital thing now is not to allow Sutoku to wake from his brainwashed state. I'm going to bring him over to the main shrine. You'll have to get rid of these people. Shapeshift into anything you want, but just make sure they don't come near me and disturb Sutoku."

"All right," she said, resolutely.

"Pon-chan," said Shinsou to the brainwashed tanuki, "Come with me."

Ponta obediently came over.

Shinsou made Sutoku walk rapidly over to the main shrine. He glanced back at Hideko, once. She had shapeshifted into some sort of huge demon, and was chasing their screaming audience away.

A _kannushi_ , or priest, tried to stop them from entering the shrine, but Shinsou brainwashed him.

"I'll have to evacuate everyone out of this building," he thought.

He stopped just outside the entrance of the _Hongu_ , thinking he had better not go in himself, for fear of angering the kami. He told the brainwashed _kannushi_ to walk through the shrine and tell everyone inside to evacuate because there was a fire.

He wanted Ponta's help, but decided to leave him brainwashed because he needed him to act the role, and felt he would probably do a better job in that state.

"Pon-chan," he said, "Shapeshift into a likeness of the gonguji we met earlier, and then get everyone around here as far away from the _Hongu_ as you can."

Ponta obediently did as he said. He had scarcely disappeared, when Hideko arrived.

"I got rid of those people," she said, "what is happening now?"

"I'm staying here and guarding Sutoku so that no one will come along and wake him from his brainwashed state," said Shinsou, "I've also gotten one of the _kannushi_ to evacuate the _Hongu_. I was wondering if you could shapeshift into the guise of the gonguji as well and go inside and help evacuate people. I'm afraid that some of the more senior priests might not listen to the _kannushi_ if he's too junior. The kami won't object to you going inside the shrine, will they?"

"I think not," said Hideko, "although I serve Inari, and not the _kami_ here."

She shapeshifted, and rapidly disappeared inside the Hongu.

The _kannushi_ Shinsou had brainwashed came back after a while with a few others, and Shinsou brainwashed all of them and made them join Ponta in evacuating people from the vicinity.

Finally, Hideko came back.

"As far as I can see, the _Hongu_ is now empty of people," she said.

Shinsou turned to Sutoku.

"All right," he said, "Walk inside the _Hongu_ and go to the sanctuary, so that the kami will be angered."

As Sutoku obediently entered the shrine, Shinsou turned to Hideko and said swiftly, "We'd better get out of here, ourselves!"

They began running. There were still several people around, probably the more stubborn ones who had refused to follow the kannushis' directions. Shinsou went up to a few and brainwashed them, and made them vacate the area. Hideko transformed to fox-form and also began rounding people up as a sheepdog might, and driving them away.

There were crowds of people now gathered some distance away, looking in puzzlement at the _Hongu_. All of a sudden, a cry went up from the crowd, and Shinsou saw all of them looking upward. He glanced up. The kite tengu were still flying around, but they were now doing so in a very confused manner, and he realised that Sutoku's hold on them had somehow been broken.

The crowd seemed to be able to see the tengu now, and many were taking photos and videos. The swarm of newly-awakened tengu swooped around, some coming down low near the earth, others streaking off across the sky. And then, all of a sudden, the sky brightened as they slowly faded away and vanished.

But the daylight now began fading again. The clouds overhead were growing, coming down low above the face of the earth, morphing and writhing into jet-black masses of twisting fury, and the crowd cried out in alarm. Shinsou was standing with Hideko, watching in amazement. Ponta was with them as well; he had somehow woken from his brainwashed state, and was watching in terror.

It had become as dark as night. Then the swirling clouds parted at one end, and a single red ray of sunlight shone its way in, falling onto the _Hongu_ and illuminating it. As the light ray touched the roof, the latter began to glow, dimly at first, but then gradually brightening, more and more until it had become too brilliant to look at. It shone, brighter and brighter, and then all of a sudden there was an enormous explosion, and the roof of the shrine was blasted into pieces.

The crowd screamed, and many began running away. The roof of the shrine was on fire, fierce and angry flames reaching hundreds of feet up into the sky. A terrible cry came from within, so loud that it pierced the ears of all present, resounding around the dimly lit grounds of the Shrine. A huge figure rose up from the roof of the _Hongu_ , ghostly and grey, wafting upward like smoke. It was Sutoku Tenno, and every person on the ground could now see him. They cried out in fear when they saw his ghastly visage, his blackened countenance and gaping mouth, and staring red eyes. With a wail the smokelike figure rose up into the sky, and then the wailing gradually faded and became lost among the clouds. The smoke dispersed, and then the ghostly figure was gone, and all became deadly quiet.

The crowd, too, had fallen silent, every person standing and looking upward, as if paralysed. Gradually, the fire on the roof of the Shrine subsided. The sky began to brighten. Clouds slowly resumed their original grey-white colour, and eventually blue sky could be seen between them.

People on the ground stirred and began moving again, looking at each other and talking, first in hushed tones, then excitedly. The clouds gradually shifted and dissolved away, and the sky became clear. The late afternoon sun came out, and was shining, low in the sky.

Everything looked as it should, as it used to, except for one thing: the roof of the _Hongu_ was missing. It was almost completely gone, having been blasted away by the anger of the kami that were housed within. Nothing was left of it except one roof ornament, or _katsuogi_ , and several tiles, lying shattered and still together with the body of the Tosa on the cold and silent floor of the shrine.


	16. Waiting For Spring

**16 WAITING FOR SPRING**

It was evening when Shinsou returned to Kibune, together with Hideko and Ponta. Hideko was in her fox-form, her _hoshi-no-tama_ floating around near her tail. The sun was setting, and the sky was clear and filled with its light. They walked openly through the streets of the village, covered by Hideko's mantle of invisibility.

Shinsou was still in disguise. It had not been possible to prevent the media from reporting that an agent from the Directorate had been involved in the return of the sword Kusanagi and the banishing of Sutoku. The media in the _haiden_ , when they woke from their brainwashed states, still remembered his exchange of words with the gonguji. And although he had tried to brainwash Sutoku in a place with no people, members of the public and the media had still managed to overhear his conversation with the _onryo_ , and deduced that it was Sutoku who had later been expelled from the _Hongu_.

Even without embellishment, Sutoku's departure had been spectacular, and the media had been having a field day publishing the story in the newspapers and discussing it on TV. Aizawa had told Shinsou to take leave and stay away from the Directorate for the time being. The media were camping outside in droves, trying to find out details about how the sword had been stolen and returned, and which agent had been responsible for returning it. They now also knew that this same agent had been involved in the Shiramine case, and they had been trying interview all the Directorate agents and other staff entering or leaving the building.

Shinsou's name had come up, for he was known to have a brainwashing Quirk, and he had already been a suspect in the Shiramine affair. Fujiwara had told the journalists that Shinsou was no longer working for the Directorate, that he had resigned some years ago, and to leave him and his family alone, for the media had been staking it out at his family home in Saitama as well. Shinsou had called home to apologise to his parents, who told him that Fujiwara had spoken to them and that they had been telling the media that he was not involved.

Unfortunately, he was making himself conspicuous by his absence. The media were of course asking where he was. They had been camping outside his rented apartment in Tokyo, but it was obvious that he was not there. His parents in Saitama had told the media that he was on vacation. They had remained tight-lipped when asked where Shinsou was working if not at the Directorate, citing privacy as a reason. He had contemplated making an appearance and declaring that he had not been the one involved, but Aizawa had told him not to.

"They've heard your voice," he told Shinsou over the phone, "You didn't disguise it. You asked the brainwashed media in the _haiden_ to delete their videos, but some of them managed to retrieve the videos after they woke up. Your voice has been recorded there. And your voice when you were brainwashing Sutoku has been recorded on video by members of the public. How are you going to explain that?"

"Disguising my voice was the last thing on my mind, at that moment," admitted Shinsou, "I was worrying about how to get rid of Sutoku, and trying to think of a backup plan in case I didn't manage to brainwash him."

"I must say that took some ingenuity," agreed Aizawa, "And I don't think you've finished telling me half of what happened, but the half you've already told me is difficult enough to believe. It's hardly surprising, then, to see some of the things that the media are saying about you."

"What things?" asked Shinsou, alarmed.

"There are too many permutations to mention," said Aizawa, now sounding amused, "Even though there were people who took videos of you brainwashing Sutoku so that it should be obvious what actually happened, the media still keep making other stories up. The tabloids, especially, have been producing pages and pages on the topic. You've been seen with a kitsune outside the _Hongu_ , so some say that you're one as well, and that besides your Quirk you also have a kitsune's powers. Or that you are a tengu working part-time for the Directorate. Then some think that you must be a bastard son of the Emperor, or you wouldn't have been able to handle the sword and bring it back. One of the more impressive ones so far is that Amaterasu infused you with her power, and that you were wielding Kusanagi inside the _Hongu_ and engaging Sutoku in one-to-one combat, eventually defeating him."

Shinsou wasn't sure if he was hearing Aizawa correctly, or whether the latter was pulling his leg; and he was silent for a while, trying to register what his supervisor was saying.

"Hello?" said Aizawa, "Are you still there?"

"Yes," said Shinsou, managing to find his voice, "I didn't think things would go this far. I suppose I should have put more effort into being discreet."

"Well, don't sound so gloomy," said Aizawa, "The media suspect you, but they're not completely sure. They've checked with the Quirk Registration Office for all those with mind control powers, thinking that these might be secretly working for the Directorate, and they've been bothering these others as well. I suggest that you just lie low for a while, until all this has blown over. Hopefully the approaching enthronement ceremony or some other big piece of news will eventually distract people from this affair."

.

.

Shinsou looked around at the narrow streets of Kibune. He had been here only a month ago, and so much had happened since. He had been with Shigeru and Hanayo then, and he wondered how they were getting along, and whether time for them at the Ryugu-jo had flown more quickly or slowly than where he was now.

Oddly, he missed them, and he recalled how difficult it had been to say goodbye to them. He looked at Hideko and Ponta; they were now in Kibune because the kitsune and the tanuki were returning to their dwellings at the base of Mt Sajikigatake. He would part with them at the edge of the village, near the vintage shop, and he knew that it would be another difficult farewell.

The vintage shop was still open, for the lights were on. They stopped outside, and since no one was around, Hideko dissolved her mantle of invisibility. Shinsou looked at her and Ponta, and found that he didn't know what to say.

"In truth, I do not know how to say good-bye to the both of you," he said at last, "We've been through so much together, and it has been an incredible journey. And right now, I wish that Shigeru and Hanayo could be with us, as well."

Ponta looked at him, and his big eyes were brimming with tears, because he was feeling emotional about the entire journey coming to an end.

"Farewell, O Shinsou-san," he said, his voice trembling, "It has been a pleasure … it has been a privilege – "

He could not continue, but burst into tears. It took them another ten minutes to calm him down, and he then stood mournfully, looking disconsolate, his silence occasionally punctuated by sobs.

"Indeed, my thoughts at this time are with Yanigahara-san and Hanayo-hime," said Hideko with a sigh, "and that they might manage to find happiness in the Hall of the Dragon King."

"I don't know how to thank you and Pon-chan enough, Hideko-san," said Shinsou, looking at her and the tanuki, "Without your help, we would never have made it through the mountains to Shimonoseki, and I would never have managed to return the sword or instigated Sutoku into having himself vanquished."

"There is no need to thank us, Shinsou-kun," said Hideko, "We were all in it together, were we not? It became our mission too, not only yours, to see _Ame-no-Murakumo-no-Tsurugi_ restored to its rightful place."

"Will you stay in disguise, Shinsou-san?" Ponta ventured to ask, looking at him, wide-eyed.

Shinsou gave a rueful laugh.

"For the time being, yes," he said, "I can't go home at the moment. I might stay at my girlfriend Ayumi's apartment."

"Does she know that it's you being mentioned in the news?" asked Ponta.

"I suppose she does," said Shinsou doubtfully, "She could have heard my name being mentioned, of course, but I haven't told her anything. Intelligence agents are supposed to keep their work confidential, and I don't usually tell my parents or Ayumi about the cases I'm working on. Anyway, Ayumi isn't terribly interested in the news. She asked me to stay over at her place because her room-mates in her rented apartment are away. I guess I might leave Japan for a few weeks. I told Ayumi I'd be on leave for a while, and she said in that case I might as well treat her to a holiday. I've been neglecting her ever since I joined the Directorate, and she has been quite patient with me, so far."

Hideko shimmered, and assumed her human form.

"I have a gift for you, Shinsou-kun," she said. She took something out and bowed, offering it with both hands to Shinsou.

He recognised it as the _horagai_ from Naomi's house, the one that had been placed on the side table during the memorable dinner they'd had there.

"Hold it to your ear," said Hideko.

Shinsou did so, expecting to hear the sound of the sea. Hideko saw the look of astonishment on his face, and smiled.

"I can hear the conversation that we had during the dinner at Naomi-san's house!" he exclaimed, "Ponta admiring the view … me and Shigeru complimenting Hanayo on her yukata … "

He looked at Hideko, amazed. "You recorded it down!"

"I had become fond of our group," Hideko said pensively, "and I had wanted to retain it, as a memento. But now, I find that I would prefer to give it to you."

Shinsou looked at her, and there was an expression of suppressed emotion on his face.

"Are you sure you don't want to keep it?" he asked, "The memory is bittersweet now … it was the last good thing that we had together, before disaster struck. Sometimes, I'm not even sure I want to remember all this."

Hideko sighed.

"I see that you feel the same way as I do," she said, "I felt I could not keep it in the end. That was why I thought of giving it to you."

Ponta had taken the conch, and was listening to it raptly.

"Shigeru-san is playing the shamisen, with me drumming!" he said, round-eyed.

"It ends with the meal," said Hideko, "I did not record the argument between you and Hana-chan after that."

Ponta gave the seashell back to Shinsou, and he stood looking at it, for a while.

"Thank you for this gift, Hideko-san," he said, "You know, Hanayo would actually have been the one who might have liked to have this. She told me in Shimane that the dinner was one of the happiest moments in her life."

"That is true," said Hideko sadly, "It is suitable for her, is it not? For it requires only listening, not seeing. If she were here, I would have given it to her and not to you. I should have given it to her and Shigeru before we left the Ryugu-jo, so that they would have had something to remember us by."

The time had come to part. Shinsou tucked the _horagai_ away in his pocket, and bowed to his two companions. Ponta bowed, and then gave him a hug, tears streaming down his cheeks again.

"Farewell, Shinsou-san," he said, mournfully.

"Good-bye, Pon-chan," said Shinsou.

"Farewell, Shinsou-kun," said Hideko. She stood gravely before him, tall and beautiful. He instinctively bowed his head slightly, and she placed her hands upon it.

"May the blessing of Inari be upon you," she said formally, "I wish you a long life and much happiness. May there always be abundance in your home, and such love and laughter as we have known during this journey that we have shared."

"Farewell, Hideko-san," Shinsou said. He did not trust himself to say more.

He watched them as they bounded down the hill. Hideko had resumed her fox-form, and Ponta rode on her back. As they reached the trees, Ponta leapt off the fox's back, and they turned around to look at Shinsou for one last time. The last rays of the sun illuminated them, so that Hideko's coat glowed fiery red, just as it had the first time they had met. He thought he saw her leaf-green eyes glinting in the fading light. Then they turned, the great red fox and the tanuki both, and melted away into the forest. Shinsou heard Ponta drumming one last rapid tattoo on his tummy in farewell.

He waited for a few moments longer, hardly able to believe that they were gone, and that their journey was truly over. Then he turned, and made his way over to the vintage shop.

The shop owner, Miura-san, was at the counter, and she smiled at Shinsou when he entered.

"I was here some time back," he said, "and I asked you about a pair of silver cufflinks in the shape of foxes' heads then. Are they still available?"

"Ahh, I remember you!" said the elderly lady, although Shinsou had been wearing a different disguise then, "You left in a hurry before buying them. You came with the nephew of Katsuno-san!"

Miura-san did not remember faces well, but she could usually connect a customer with a desired item.

"Yes, that's right," admitted Shinsou.

"The cufflinks are still here," she said, going over to get them, "Shall I gift-wrap them for you?"

"No, that won't be necessary," said Shinsou, glancing at the window as if he almost expected to see Shigeru there again, knocking on the glass, "I had originally meant to buy them for a friend, but I think that I'll just keep them now, as a memento."

"You know, we found more of Katsuno's things after you left," said Miura-san, "Perhaps I could give them to you, and you can pass them to her nephew?"

"Did you?" said Shinsou. He suddenly regretted that he had rushed Hanayo out of the shop. It might have comforted her to have some of her mother's belongings with her at the Ryugu Palace. "Although," he thought, "she brought nothing with her when we went down under the sea. We left all our things at Harada-san's house. Still, it might have meant something to her just to know that these things existed."

Miura-san had already disappeared somewhere into the depths of the shop. She returned presently, holding a box.

"You know, I'm not sure if I'll be seeing Katsuno's nephew again," began Shinsou.

"Emi and I were so excited when we finally found these," said Miura-san, not paying attention to him, "They should be given to Katsuno's daughter, not her nephew. There should be some way to contact her, no? Look! There are small bottles of perfume here. Katsuno made them herself. We opened one, and amazingly, the scent is still fresh."

She opened the bottle, and offered it to Shinsou.

"Can you recognise the scent?" she asked.

He frowned. "It's honeysuckle, isn't it?"

"Yes!" said Miura-san, ecstatically. "And see what else we found! She must have made them for her daughter!"

She held up several small pieces of clothing.

Shinsou looked cautiously at them. "Those look like children's clothes."

"Of course they are!" Miura-san cried, "Obviously she thought that her daughter might get married one day, and could use them for her own children!"

"Provided she has daughters," said Shinsou, eyeing them critically, "those are girls' clothes, aren't they?"

"No, no!" exclaimed Miura-san, vexed at the obtuseness of men, "The two little yukata with flowers, of course those are for girls. But the haori and the hakama, those are for boys!"

The haori was a kimono-like jacket, while the hakama consisted of baggy, ankle-length pants.

Shinsou was beginning to feel even more regretful about rushing Hanayo out of the shop, when he heard the knocking at the window.

"Shigeru," he thought. But when he turned, it wasn't Shigeru. A large, white bird was at the window, knocking at it with its beak. His heart jumped.

"Why, what is that?" asked Miura-san, picking up her glasses.

"It's Mitsuki," Shinsou said, and hurried over to the shop door. He opened it, and the great white swan flew in. She landed neatly on a table next to Shinsou, and offered him an envelope and a scrap of cloth.

Shinsou tore the envelope open. A wedding invitation fell out, and he recognised Shigeru's familiar scrawl.

" _Brother, did you manage to return the sword? Well I waited two years for spring to come, and it finally has. She has agreed to marry me. And although you can't come, we want you to know that you're invited."_

Shinsou's face broke into a smile. It struck him that he hadn't smiled for a long while.

"It must be good news," said Miura-san, peering doubtfully at the swan, "You were looking really sad when you came in, and you're looking much happier now."

"It is," said Shinsou, "I think I might be able to give those cufflinks to my friend after all. Could you gift-wrap them for me?"

Miura-san hurried off to carry out his wishes. Shinsou turned to look at the scrap of cloth. It was black in colour, and looked familiar; it was folded over and pinned on three sides. He removed the pins, and several pressed flowers fell out. His smile faded.

He stood there, looking at the flowers and the cloth scrap. He recognised them. The flowers were honeysuckle from the wreath he had made for Hanayo. She must have somehow managed to send Mitsuki to her governess's house to get her belongings. He had expected the flowers to wilt and the wreath to eventually be disposed of, but she must have asked Harada-san to preserve it by having the flowers dried and pressed. The cloth was part of the sleeve that he had torn off in Hyogo in order to bandage her arm.

She had kept the sleeve and the flowers. What did she mean, by sending these to him? This was only a small part of the sleeve and a fraction of the flowers that had been in the wreath. If she had returned the entire sleeve and wreath, it might have meant that she was letting him go. But she was still holding on to the rest.

She was telling him that although she was marrying Shigeru, she still remembered him. It wasn't what he wanted to hear, and he wondered if Shigeru knew that she had sent this together with the invitation card.

"There now, that's nicely wrapped," said Miura-san, coming back with the package, "Will you be wanting anything else? And what about Katsuno-san's things?"

"Yes," said Shinsou, "This swan here is Mitsuki. She belongs to Hanayo, Katsuno's daughter. If you could wrap Katsuno's things, the swan can bring them to her."

"Mitsuki?" said Miura-san, "That's beautiful! Did you know that that is Katsuno-san's real name? Katsuno was just her geisha name. Hana-chan named the swan after her mother."

Shinsou had forgotten this. If Shigeru had known the swan's name earlier, would it have made any difference, he wondered.

He hesitated, then took Hideko's _horagai_ out of his pocket. It would be better if Hanayo forgot him. Now he was sending her bottles of honeysuckle perfume which would remind her of the time they'd spent in Shimane, and a seashell with his voice in it paying her a compliment. It was a pity he couldn't edit his voice out of the conch. Still, perhaps he was worrying too much. It might take a while, but she might still forget him in the end. Withholding these items didn't feel right either. Hideko had said that she would have liked to have given the conch to the princess, and he knew that it would make Hanayo happy to have her mother's perfume, and a souvenir bearing the memory of that dinner on Mt Daisen.

"I wonder if you could wrap this carefully as well," he said, bringing the _horagai_ over to the counter, "so that it won't break."

He managed to get a card and a pen from Miura-san, and wrote: _"To Shigeru, the cufflinks are in memory of our time in Iga and Shanghai. To Hanayo, I enclose some of the things your mother made for you, which Miura-san found. May they bring you much joy. To both Shigeru and Hanayo, the horagai is to be held to the ear and listened to, and is from Hideko, Ponta and myself, in memory of our journey and especially the dinner that we had on Mt Daisen. We wish you much happiness. Shinsou."_

He remembered something else. He added in:

" _ps. Yes, we managed to return the sword_."

Miura-san packed everything carefully, and placed it securely in a bag. Shinsou then led Mitsuki outside.

It was night now, and the moon was shining brightly. It was late summer, but they were among mountains, and there was a chill in the air.

Shinsou gave the bag to Mitsuki, and when she was holding it securely, told her to return to her mistress. He felt the backdraft as the swan spread its huge wings and launched itself into the air. Autumn might be approaching here, he thought, but he hoped that it would always be springtime for those who remembered what their world used to be like, far beneath the ocean in the chamber of seasons. He stood there, watching as the great bird rose high into the night sky, the moonlight gleaming silver on its wings, and eventually disappeared.

.

.

.

~ THE END ~


End file.
